The Feud: A Marriage Made In Heaven
by duchesscarml
Summary: Its 400 years after Sengoku Jidai. Two wealthy families have been waring for years and the Emperor had decreed that three marriages take place to bring an end to the fighting and bloodshed... but, there is a third party who would like nothing more than fo
1. The Beginning?

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters.

Time and Location: _This story takes place 400 years after the Sengoku Jidai Era. Much of the land looks the same, though villages are slowly becoming cities and they have things such as indoor plumbing, glass, etc, etc, etc._

The Feud: _In this time Emperor Tao rules Japan and whichever families are wealthy enough, strong enough, and powerful enough to hold and keep the power they have attained. There are two such families who have done this: The Higurashi Clan and The Masaharu Clan. They are equal in every rite. Neither one's army is stronger than the other, neither one has more money than the other and neither one has more land than the other, but they both have a problem... each other._

_You see, for the last 300+ years these two families have fought each other and since its been going on for so long, no one from either family can quite remember how it started_ _or which family did which family a grave injustice first. Since so many have died in the battles between these two families the cause of their feud died with those who started it. One legend says the feud was caused over a woman another legend says the feud began over a strip of land. Not just any strip of land, but a very valuable piece indeed. This certain piece of land sits directly between these two families lands and hold a waterfall that is said to hold certain powers within its water, but no one knows if said power is true for no one has stepped foot on said piece of land since the fighting began hundreds of years ago and those that are old enough to know and lived to tell... has not._

_Many believed the feud would come to an end when the Taiyoukai, Higurashi Onigumo, and his wife had children. You see, while the Taiyoukai, Masharu InuTaisho, had three sons, Lord Higurashi had three _daughters._ And everyone knows daughters are only good for _one_ thing: marriage. If a powerful Lord had daughters he would marry them off to a family who could help in his cause, while sons on the other hand could carry on the family name as well as battle and become heroes. Daughters were not believed to be useful in such things. So, many believed the Higurashi Clan, having no sons to continue the name, was slowly on it's way out._

_But, things did not work out this way. No. Higurashi, who had become known as Naraku for his ruthlessness in battle, was _not_ marrying off his daughters. People did not understand this, for his daughters were heard to be three of the most beautiful women in all of Japan (seeing who their mother was, no one doubted it), but there was a mystery surrounding these three women. There were two mysteries, in fact. The first was their animals; which really wasn't much of a mystery. Stories say that each daughter had a pet, for lack of a better word, that had an extraodinary ability to change its form to fight and protect its mistress. This was not much of a mystery because some people have said they witnessed the eldest girl's cat change into a larger form of itself and fly through the sky with flames at its feet. No one had trouble believing this because it was said that the girl's animals are youkai and everyone knows youkai have great abilities and powers. The mystery about this is that rumor has it that the cats are actually their mistress's true form. The rumor said that even though the girls were youkai they looked human. No one knew if the rumor had any truth to it though. _

_The _other _rumor_ _is actually a double mystery. Its rumored that not only is all three daughters believed to be human, but also each one is said to have an extraordinary gift or power unique to themselves. No one understands how this can be when their parents are known youkai; nekoyoukai. No one has given much credence to the second mystery for no one outside of the Higurashi clan has ever seen the girls. It is said that they are very proficient in battle, but no one knows if this is so, because both families had been given specific orders by the Emperor himself that there was to be no more bloodshed by either of them to each other or the culprit would be severely punished. In other words, no one born of or associated with the Masaharu clan could kill anyone born of or associated with the Higurashi clan and vice versa. This was decreed over fifty years ago. At that time both families had decreed no one was to ever goin the water onthe land they fought over, until something was decided.Personal honor made everyone stick to this rule. So, both families began toplay sneaky tricks on each other and even engaged in the occasional fightbut nothing so evil that would bring either one before the Emperor. This is how it has been and still is 'til this day._

The end of the Feud... _or is it:_ _Under orders from the Emperor, spies have been placed within both families for the last forty years. His Excelency did not trust either family to keep to their promise of leaving the other alone, despite personal honor (and rightly so) so he had sent out spies to watch both families. The Emperor had finally lost his patience with both families after recent events that caused a young woman's death. In his anger, he had come to a decision to bring the Feud to an end... for good! His solution was to join these two families and make them one. He believed a family would not kill amongst itself or anymore of his people. So he decreeded that each son from the Masaharu family was to marry a daughter from the Higurashi family. You can imagine how both families greeted this, but the Emperor would not change his mind and to prove this he further decreed that the first marriage was to take place in two weeks time and he would attend to make sure his orders were not defied. Depending on how well the first marriage went, then that would say when the second would take place and the third, but _each _daughter would be wed within the next three years... if not sooner. The Emperor gave the families the right to choose which daughter would marry which son... After all, he did not want to allianate either one of the Taiyoukai. _

The Higurashi Daughters: _The **eldest** daughter's name is Sango. She is twenty years old and said to be very beautiful with dark hair and dark brown eyes. She was master of the dagger and a large boomerang called Hiraikotsu. It is said that she never misses a target when using the large weapon. Her familiar, Kirara, was said to be a fire neko who could transform. The **second** daughter's name is Kikyo. She is nineteen years old and said to be just as beautiful, also with dark hair, but her eyes were a clear, hazel brown, like good wine. She is said to be amaster of the bow and arrow as well as the sword or katana. Her familiar, Mala, was said to be a lightning neko who looked much like a cheetah. The **youngest** daughter's name is Kagome. She is eighteen years old and rumored to be the most beautiful of the three for she had eyes of indigo. She was master of the sai, but she was very good with the bow and arrow as well. Many say she is the one who holds the strangest power, but as I said before, not to many put much stock in the rumors of the girl's having 'gifts' of a sort. Her familiar, Dygee, was said to be as black as a night without stars, like the panther, and was an ice neko, but no one had ever seen the younger two daughter's animals in action._

The Masaharu Sons: _The **eldest** son's name is Sesshoumaru. He is twenty-six years old. Every woman in Japan has, literally, swooned at his feet. They say he is the most beautiful man they have ever had the misfortune (depending on whom you asked) to meet. He was heir to the Western Lands. The **middle** son's name is InuYasha. He is twenty-three years old. He was also very handsome with his unique ears. He and his older brother both had long, silver-white hair and amber eyes. This trait was passed to them from their mother who died giving birth to Inuyasha. It was believed a minion working for the Higurashi clan poisoned her, but no proof had come of this. The **youngest** son's name is Miroku. He is twenty-one years old. He looks much like his father with blue-black hair and eyes a deep blue that could only be described as purple. Though he is only a half brother he is very close to the other two. Each brother were considered great warriors and said to be unequaled in battle. It is said the youngest son has the infamous wind tunnel on the palm of his right hand and with it, can suck up entire armies if necessary._

_The fate of these two households rest on the outcome of these three marriages... Will this be the beginning of a new future for them, _or _is it the beginning of a very sad and disastrous end? Only time will tell..._

Book I: A Marriage Made In Heaven.

_Two households, both alike in dignity,_  
_In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,_  
_From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,_  
_Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean._  
_From forth the fatal loins of these two foes_  
_A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;_  
--Excerpt from the prologue of _Romeo and Juliet_ by _William Shakespeare_

Chapter 1: The Beginning?

"Honey what are we going to do?"

Lord Onigumo turned to look at his beautiful wife as she came slamming into the room; a frantic look on her face. He studied his wife as she starred back at him with wide, bright blue eyes. He could see the panic she was trying so hard to control. He put down the book he was reading to give her his full attention before addressing her question.

"About what?"

"About what..." she echoed in disbelief. "About our daughters! How are we suppose to tell them they are to be married off to our enemies?"

Onigumo winced at the loudness of her voice and wiggled a finger in his ear. His hearing was never going to be the same again, he sighed. He figured his question was not a very good one. Onigumo walked over to his wife, wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her against his chest in a comforting embrace.

"There is nothing we can do Atsuki... short of defying the Emperor. They will have to marry or we will be charged with treason. As for telling them... I'd suggest we not tell them using _those _words."

Atsuki lifted her head from her husband's chest in confusion.

"What words?"

"The words "you are to be married off to our enemies"." He frowned and shuddered at his next thought, "At least _not _to _Kagome_. Kami-sama, that girl has a temper!"

She smiled at the comical look of horror on her husband's face.

"She gets it from you," she said with a twist of her lips and did her best to hide her growing smile.

Onigumo arched an eyebrow at her words. Everyone knew those words were the farthest from the truth.

"I beg to differ, my dear. You know as well as I do that those girls get their tempers from _your_ side of the family. Except Kikyo; I don't think that girl has any temper at all."

It was Atsuki's turn to arch a brow now. She knew very well her daughters got their tempers from her... as well as their good hearts. It was all they got from her, for none of her daughters looked anything like her. Not one of her daughters had come out with her red hair or her fair complexion. Her youngest child, Kagome, ended up with her blue eyes, but with the girls dark hair and olive complexion she still looked more like her father. It also went for Sango who, despite having Atsuki's face, still looked more like her father with her olive skin tone and dark hair.

Atsuki looked at her husband and felt the familiar flutter in her heart. He was still the most beautiful man she'd ever seen. With his long, wavy, black hair, garnet colored eyes and eyelashes any sane woman would kill for he was, indeed, very beautiful. Even after all their years together he could still make her heart react as if she was seeing him for the first time. Remembering her husband's last remark about their middle child, she had to bite her bottom lip to keep from laughing out loud. She couldn't believe he actually believed _their_ daughter didn't have a temper!

"You think not?" she asked smartly, "Believe that if you want to my dear, but trust me our middle child definitely has a temper... it just takes _much_ more for it to come out. _She_ was blessed with patience... or she's just much better at the art of ignoring than the rest of us are. Take your pick."

Onigumo thought on this, but just could not believe his very logical daughter could be short with anyone. _'It just wasn't in her nature,'_ he concluded and shrugged it off. It mattered not; he would not be marrying his second child off first anyway. Nope, he'd already decided that.

She knew her husband was picturing their Kikyo and knew what he was thinking, but Atsuki knew better. It may not be in there daughter's nature to yell at someone, but that was only because Kikyo preferred action to words. Kagome had no problem cursing out anyone to hell and back, Kikyo would find something to knock you with if she was angry enough, and Sango, their eldest... Sango was a mixture of the two extremes. It all depended on what was handy and what mood she was in.

Atsuki watched the expressions play over her husband's face and knew he'd already come to a decision. She hadn't been married to him all this time and not learned all of his habits. She uncurled herself from against him and moved away. She had a feeling they were not about to agree.

"What have you decided?"

Onigumo looked down on his lovely wife and saw the set of her chin and sighed. He mentally squared his shoulders and prepared himself for the coming battle. Like he mentioned before... his wife had a temper to go with the fire in her hair.

"As you know," he began and took a deep breath, "the Emperor has allowed us to chose which daughter would marry which one of the Masaharu boys."

"Yes..."

"Well, I have recently _learned_ that Lord InuTaisho has decided his eldest son will marry last. He is marrying off the youngest boy first."

"And which of our daughters have you decided will be first?"

Atsuki waited for it. She knew without a doubt she was not going to like his answer. She didn't like the whole thing, but she was not prepared to defy her Emperor. Rumor had it the current Emperor Tao could be very imaginative with his punishments.

"Sango."

In turn, Onigumo waited for his wife's explosion. He was not disappointed.

**"WHAT!"**

"Honey..."

"DON'T YOU 'HONEY' ME!" she yelled. "HOW THE HELL DID YOU DECIDE OUR _ELDEST _CHILD SHOULD MARRY HIS YOUNGEST? SHOULDN'T SHE BE THE ONE TO MARRY HIS HEIR?"

Onigumo sighed heavily. He was going to have a headache this night.

"No."

**"NO! NO? WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN, 'NO'?"**

**"NO!"** he yelled. She was not the only one who had a temper.

"**AND WHY NOT?"** she screamed at him.

**"YOU HEARD ME WOMAN! I. SAID. NO!"**

Atsuki's eyes began to glow bright with a blue fire as she narrowed them in anger at her husband. _'He'd better start talking fast or I will not be responsible for my actions..." _she said to herself in warning.

Onigumo took a deep breath to calm down. He did not want to fight with her; he wanted to save his strength for Masaharu. Lord knows, they couldn't be in a room for one minute without fighting.

"Sweetheart, think about this. Sango is not made to be the future Lady of the Westernlands. Her heart is much too soft. She could never be the one to make the tough decisions, even with a strong husband by her side. You know what I say is true."

Atsuki thought about her eldest daughter. She knew her daughter had a pure goodness in her that was very rare. Her daughter had always done everything in her power to help those in need, but tended to blame herself when she could not save someone. She also knew Sango used her special _'gift'_ to help with this when necessary. As she thought more on it, she knew what her husband said was true; her Sango was not a person meant to rule. Atsuki's anger deflated with her acknowledgement as she looked at her husband and nodded.

"So... you think she is better with the youngest son?"

"He is still older than she is, and he is not without power. Besides, he will have to win her. They all will. Our daughters are a force to be reckoned with in more ways than one... like their mother."

Atuski gave a half smile at that. She knew her husband referred to their daughter's unique abilities. They had done their best to keep them secret, but now it looked like they would end up telling the one people they _never_ wanted to find out: the Masaharus.

"We will have to try and protect her. Sango's power could be dangerous in the wrong hands."

Onigumo understood this very well, but how did a father protect his daughter from her husband? "It seems... she will have to do most of her protecting herself. We can only do so much; especially after they are married."

Onigumo watched his wife's eyes sadden at that. He knew she worried for all of her daughters, but Sango was the one she worried for most. She took things too seriously and often too personally. She had a tendency to place blame on herself when things didn't go as planned, then she'd make herself sick with guilt.

"I guess this is for the best," she smiled at her thoughts. "Can you imagine her reaction at marrying a man said to be more beautiful than most woman?"

Onigumo smiled at his wife's girlish giggle. The thought was comical. His Sango would be outraged.

"May I ask, _who_ have you decided will be the next Lady of the Western Lands?"

Onigumo turned to walk away from his wife in thought. He linked his hands behind his back as he looked out the window at the darkening sky and sighed.

"I haven't decided that yet. I'm just not sure who would make the better choice between the two. I don't want to be wrong."

She walked over to her husband and reached her arms through the opening of his and embraced him as she laid the side of her face against the hard plains of his back.

"You will make the right choice. Of that, I'm sure."

Atsuki thought of her other two daughters and sighed. She was glad she was not making the choice. Her last two children were alike in so many ways, but they were as different as night and day. She figured her husband would be able to make a better decision after he had a chance to get a look at Lord InuTaisho's two oldest sons... and perhaps a feel for their characters. Sango was so much easier because in a lot of ways she was so straight forward. What you saw was what you got; simple as that. There were times when she could predict her daughter's moves. She guessed it came from her gift. While Kikyo and Kagome were... like a three tiered cake; layer after layer.

"Well, when are you going to tell them?"

"I'm about to go let them know what their Emperor has decreed now. We have less then two weeks to prepare."

"OH MY GOD! I completely forgot about that!" she shrieked and began pushing him towards their bedroom door. "Go! Go tell them! How am I to prepare a wedding fit for my daughter if she doesn't know she's getting married? You know she needs time to be shocked, then angry at the Emperor, then angry at you, then at her intended, before she will even bother to _think _about being cooperative. Not to mention Kirara will be burning anything and everything in sight while her mistress is upset. You tell her now and she'll be just finishing with all that in time for the ceremony. And I don't even want to get started on how Kagome is going to respond to this! Do you think we could... just _not_ tell _her _yet?"

Onigumo arched his brow at his wife for a second time that night. _'She couldn't honestly believe we'd be able to keep this from Kagome?'_ he wondered in disbelief. He knew she had to know that one of the servants would tell the girl within a couple of hours... a day at the most. The servants dooted on Kagome. _'If she told them to go jump off a bridge, they'd happily a pack a lunch,' _he thought dryly._ 'Damn if they didn't listen to my youngest daughter more than they listen to _me_!" _he sneered to himself.

At the look on his face, Atsuki knew her wishful thinking was far too wishful and sighed.

"It was a thought," she stated sourly.

"More like a myth, with no hope of ever being true."

She frowned at him and watched as he walked out the door to go find their daughters, who they both knew were most likely in the castle gardens by now; relaxing with their cats at their sides.

ooo

_In the Castle Gardens_

"So, when do you think Father will get around to telling us?"

Kagome turned tofind her sister's dark gaze and shrugged. They'd found out from Toutousai-san, their father's oldest friend -literally and figuratively- about the Emperor's orders. None of them were happy, but none of them were going to defy the Emperor either. They'd heard stories about his ways of punishing. They'd each gladly marry anyone to keep from experiencing _that _first hand.

"Wouldn't_ you_ be the best one to answer that question?" Kagome's rich blue eyes sparkled at her pun as she watched her sister's embarrassed blush.

Sango smiled at her sister and tried her best not to laugh. She knew perfectly well her sister was referring to her _'gift'_. Sango's ability to see the future was not an uncommon ability, but the fact she could also see the past wasn't commonly known. The older people in the palace called her a "seer", but Sango didn't always feel that way. Sango had come to terms with her ability and used it to help her family and friends whenever she could, especially her sisters. They were her best friends. Her gift had one little flaw though... she could not tell her _own_ future or for that matter any future that dealt with herself directly. Which is why she'd asked her question; she had no idea when their Father was going to tell them, but she knew it would be soon, he didn't have any choice in the matter if the first wedding was to take place in two weeks.

"You know perfectly well, little sister, that Sango can not tell us this since it also has to do with her."

Both Kagome and Sango turned to their other sister Kikyo when they heard her soft voice chime in. It never ceased to amaze them how calm she could be... even now. They looked at their sister as she sat in the chair with her cat, Mala, in her lap. The dark, gold knit sweater she wore with her jeans brought out the golden hues in her caramel colored eyes they noted. They'd always told her the dark gold was the best color on her.

"She's right. It is the reason I haven't seen a vision on Father's arrival to us, but I do know that you two will be married."

"To which brothers will we be married off to?" asked Kagome; her eyes were shooting off tiny blue sparks. She did not like this at all! They were warriors! And instead they were being treated as _weak_ daughters.

"Father has not decided," answered Sango as she averted her eyes from her sister's perceptive gaze. This did not escape Kikyo's notice though.

"Hmm. You say _Father_ has not decided yet, but I'm betting the future already knows his decision, doesn't it?"

Sango glared at Kikyo for a second. Sango sighed in resignation; her sister never did miss a beat. "Yes, it knows."

The other two waited for her to continue then dropped their mouths in shock when they realized she was actually _not_ going to say anymore.

"You're not going to tell us are you!" shouted Kagome in shock. "Thats not fare! You know who you will be married to, but you won't allow us to have the same benefit!"

"That is not why. I do not say because, while Father has decided whom _I _will marry, he has not decided which brother you and Kikyo will marry. My future is set now, but what I see, for you guys now, is subject to change when Father makes his decision. I do not wish to lead you wrong until I am certain. I do know the names of the two that are left, though. If you would like to know."

"That is logical," Kikyo stated. She would not admit she was upset though.

"_You_ would say that. _Logical_," giggled Kagome as her anger died. She could see the anger flash in her sister's calm face. She knew just as Sango did, that no matter what Kikyo said aloud she was angry just like they were. They could always read their sister even when she began to hide behind the calm exterior she was known for.

Kagome peered down at Dygee, who was sleeping at her feet, and smiled at her midnight colored cat.

"Then who are you to marry? Or do you not know?"

"You knowI don't," Sango sighed and looked down at her hands. "All I know is that the blurred vision I have seen hasn't changed... and because it's so blurred I know the vision pertains to myself."

Kirara hopped up into Sango's lap to give comfort. The fire niko could sense her mistress's distress and did not like it.

"God! It must suck to see others futures and not your own," exclaimed Kagome with a shake of her head.

Sango thought about that for a moment. In the beginning, when she'd first learned of her power and what her visions were, she'd been scared. Especially when she saw things that were sad and too scary for her young mind at the time. With time she'd learned how to control her visions and how to separate herself from it. Then came the time when she realized that she couldn't see her own future and she'd felt exactly as Kagome had just said. She'd thought it was so unfair that at eleven years old her _own_ 'gift' couldn't keep her from falling on a patch of ice and breaking her ankle. It had scared her, but with her mother's help she'd come to figure that God didn't want her to use her gift for her own gain, but to help others so that's what she did. Her and her sisters were trained in combat and like them she mastered the use of a weapon and when necessary she used her gift, just as her sisters used theirs.

Sango remembered the brutal training her and her sisters went through, but in the end they'd come out fine. She was the best to wield a dagger or the large boomerang, Hiraikotsu. Actually, she'd never seen anyone use the heavy weapon. She was very good. She never missed a target. When she was thirteen and learned what could happen if she missed, she made a vow to herself to _never _miss again... and she didn't.

Sango looked at her younger sister, whose gift was the strongest of all of theirs, and sighed. She admired the straight blue skirt and white top wit huge pink flowers her sister wore and smiled. The outfit was very beautiful on Kagome. She knew that many people called them the _most _beautiful women in Japan and that Kagome was more beautiful then her and Kikyo, but for all that her sister didn't have a conceited bone in her body. Yes, her sister admired herself in the mirror when getting dress, but no more than the average eighteen year old, but if you were to tell her how beautiful she looked Kagome would smile, say thank you, and go on about her business. If you were to tell her she was the most beautiful girl in all Japan she'd laugh and tell you that you must not have met many woman.

Sango thought again about her sister's statement and smiled to herself.

"No it does not bother me... anymore." Both Kikyo and Kagome saw the gleam in their sister's eyes and laughed themselves. They remembered the fall she'd taken when she was younger. It wasn't too funny then, when Sango was really hurt, but now they laughed about it together.

"So, what are their names?" asked Kagome. She was a little curious because while they heard much about the sons of Masaharu, they only knew the name of Masaharu's heir. They heard much about _him._ Like, he was said to be more beautiful than most women. _'Odd'_ she thought to herself. It was odd to think of a _man_ and the word 'beautiful' in the same sentence.

"Of the two that are left?" Sango asked to be sure. When her sister nodded she continued, "InuYasha and Sesshoumaru."

_'Ah, so the beauty is left for Kikyo or me. To think, I could end up married to a man more beautiful than me...' _she thought with a blink. "I wonder why the heir is not being married off first?" she spoke aloud to no one in particular. She tensed when she sensed a familiar aura coming their way.

"Father is coming," Kikyo told them with a sigh.

"How do you know?" asked Sango; focusing on her other sister.

"Kagome," she nodded in the other girl's direction, "she has become tense. I would imagine she can sense his aura now."

They turned to look at the younger girl and watched her nod in agreement. Their father was, indeed, on his way.

As their father came into view they all turned to look at him. Kikyo could sense he was not happy with what he had to do. She understood that he was still going to go through with it; he was not going to let them out of this. She knew he feared what the Emperor would do in retaliation. Sango shut her eyes for a moment and saw three male faces flash in front of her eyes; one with dark hair and two with hair of a silvery, white color. She wondered who they were and felt her stomach plummet. For some reason, she had a feeling she was not going to like it when she learned who they were. Kagome did her best to control her anger. She did not want to have a shouting match with her father. He may say that they have their mother's temper, but he could not say he didn't have one of his own. It was her opinion that her sisters and her had their _parents_ temper.

They all watched their Father's approach in silence as they contemplated their own thoughts.

Onigumo eyed his daughters as he walked towards them. They were all watching him intently, he noticed. He also noticed none of them looked happy to see him. They all looked a little... peeved, he thought. Even his Kikyo, who was always so calm and serene, seemed to be upset. He wondered what they were talking about out here, and had a sinking suspicion that they already knew what he'd come to tell them. Onigumo frowned at this and decided he would take the head of the person that told his angel's what he had _specifically _told everyone _not_ to tell them.

"My angels..."

_"Oh, great!" _they all thought in unison. Whenever their father called them 'his angels' he wanted them to do something he _knew_ they were not going to want to do.

"I have something I need to speak with you three about," he said to them. Onigumo was not looking forward to this... he already had a headache. "Well... ah, you see... the Emperor... He, ah..."

Kagome looked between her two sisters then shut her eyes and made the link. _"You guys, this is painful to watch."_ She turned her gaze back to their father and pretended to listen to his attempts at speaking coherently. She was so happy she'd discovered this little perk to her 'gift'. With it, she and her sisters could speak to one another without saying a word out loud. They had to be in close proximinity to one another or in the same vicinity, like they were now, for it to work. It was their little secret.

_"I know! Is it me or is he looking a little green around the edges?" _asked Sango as she tried to keep her face straight. She didn't want to tip their father off to what they were doing.

_"He's looking green," _replied Kikyo as she stifled a giggle.

_"Ooh, was that an _almost_ giggle Kikyo! Better be careful, someone might see." _Kagome smiled inwardly at her joke.

_"Shut up Kagome! I am trying so hard here not to laugh!"_ Sango squeaked.

Kikyo looked from one sister to the other and arched one beautifully shaped brow at them before returning her gaze to their father's face. _'I think we should take pity on him before he gets annoyed with his own stuttering."_

Sango and Kagome gave a slight nod in agreement.

Onigumo swallowed, as he looked from one daughter's face to the other and then the other. They all looked so calm and cool. Well, his Kagome still had a spark in her eyes, but not nearly as large as he had thought it would be. He narrowed his eyes on Sango for a second and stilled. _"Wait, was that amusement in his daughter's eye?"_

"Emperor Tao has--" he tried again only to be cut off by his daughter.

"We know Father," Kikyo cut in quietly.

"You know?" That brought him up short for a second. He'd thought so, but how much did they know? "What _exactly_ do you know?"

"We know that in an attempt to stop the feud between our families," Sango began.

"Emperor Tao has ordered us to marry the Masaharu sons," Kagome finished.

"_And_ in two weeks the first marriage of the three is to take place. And the timing of the second marriage depends on how the first one goes," added Kikyo.

"Oh! I almost forgot... we get _up to_ three years to get all three marriages done," Kagome smiled sweetly. It did not escape Onigumo's notice that his daughter's smile did not reach her eyes.

"Okay. You know everything... thats all you had to say," he sighed and rubbed a hand down his face and shut his eyes.

"Well, not _everything_..."

Onigumo's eyes popped open at that. He looked at his daughter's faces again. He couldn't help thinking that the Masaharu boys were getting the better end of the deal here; all of his daughters were beautiful like their mother.

"No. Not everything," continued Sango. "We don't know which one you're _bartering _me off to. Care to enlighten me?"

_'So, now it begins,'_ he thought with a sigh. "I am not '_bartering'_ you... any of you." He narrowed his eyes at each of them, making sure he got his point across.

"Of course you are Papa. You are bartering us for peace... a peace that may not even come, but its okay. If we are to be bartered at least it is for something worth the trouble," said Kikyo; her eyes looking calmly into his.

"She's right Papa. No matter how you say it, the Emperor has bartered us for peace. I just wonder what has pushed him to this?" said Kagome with a twist of her lips.

"I don't know. Some say he has lost his patience with us, others say the death of that young woman last month did it," he answered. He also had wondered about that incident.

"But that had nothing to do with us. Did someone from the Masaharu family kill that woman?"

"I honestly don't know, but from what I know of Lord InuTaisho and the woman's death, it doesn't fit. I have never known him to do anything without honor and their was no honor in the way that woman was killed."

They all nodded at this. They respected their father's judgment on these things and accepted it completely.

"So, back to me!" Sango gave a sarcastic smile and a shake of her head, "Who have you picked for me? I already know I'm first."

Onigumo sighed. This was what he'd come to tell them though. Granted, it didn't go as he'd planned or _imagined_, but there was something good in the latter thought, because what he'd imagined hadn't been pleasant at all.

"The young man's name is Miroku. He is Lord Masaharu's youngest son. He's twenty-one."

Sango processed this information and decided to wait 'til she met her intended before giving an opinion of his choice.

"Is his hair a silvery white color?" Sango thought about the three images that had crossed her mind not too long ago.

Onigumo had seen all three sons before, mostly in battle, but he'd no less seen them. He wondered how his daughter knew of the other two son's hair color though. He figured, she might have been told by someone in the castle, since it wasn't a common color of hair.

"No, that's the older two sons hair color. Miroku's hair is black like his father's."

_'So the faces I saw were there's. Too bad it went to fast for me to catch details'_ she thought and nodded at her father.

"Well, I suggest you girls get some sleep. You'll meet the guys tomorrow. Lord InuTaisho and his sons are coming to sign some documents."

"Alright Papa, we will. Goodnight."

"Yes, goodnight Papa," added Kikyo.

"Pleasant dreams," Kagome chimed in with a smile to him.

They watched their father walk away before turning to look at one another.

"Well. Tomorrow should be interesting."

"Hm," said Sango in thought. "Interesting, is the word for it."

"Well, I guess we should find our beds," began Kikyo as she stood with a sleeping Mala in her arms, "I have a feeling we are going to need our strength."

Sango gathered Kirara into her arms as well and got to her feet. "Alright then. I guess its time we say goodnight then."

Kagome bent down and picked Dygee up off the ground. She giggled when he purred as she settled him against her chest as she straightened. She looked at her sisters and nodded in agreement. They all stood eye to eye to each other; it was one of their similarities. Their figures were different though; she was curvy with a large bust and round hips; Sango was even more curvier with a larger bust then her and Kikyo. Her proportions were almost perfect, and Kikyo was the smallest of them, but in no means small proportioned.

They walked together to their rooms since they were on the same side of the castle. Sango was the first to leave as they made it to her room first, then Kagome's room was next as it lay on the opposite side of the hall and further down. She bided Kikyo a final goodnight as Kikyo proceeded to her roomnear the end of the long corridor, on the same side of the hall as Sango and entered, shutting the door quietly behind her.

The three sisters were all anxiously waiting for tomorrow... for very different reasons.


	2. And the Couples Are

Disclaimer:  I do not own Inuyasha...(sad, I know...)

A/N:  Thank you to everyone who reviewed and put in a vote.  I do appreciate all the help and suggestions.  Now.... here's the chapter with the decision.  I hope you like!  Though I'm sure most of you have already figured it out, since I know you were counting too!  ^_^

Book I:  The Feud: A Marriage Made In Heaven.

Chapter2:  And The Couples Are...

InuTaisho watched as his eldest son, Sesshoumaru, walked over to the window in his office and stare out at the scene in front of him.  He sighed to himself and stared at his son's back.  He'd been arguing with his son for twenty minutes now and was getting a migraine.  He didn't argue with his son often, well at least not his oldest son, so the experience was proving to be a memorable one.

InuTaisho had known this moment would come, but he'd thought he was prepared for his son's temper and the unleashing of it, but... he was wrong.  His son did not loose his temper easily so, he knew the subject was an important one to him, but he'd expected his son to get over it and accept.  After all, there was nothing he could do about it.  The Emperor had made the decree and they could not go against their ruler.  Well, they could, but the problems it would cause, not to mention a war, was not something he relished the thought of.

His son was always in control and exuded a power that he'd never seen anyone have the stupidity-or courage- to stand up to.  He'd witnessed grown men who had a stronger build and who you would think possessed more power then Sesshoumaru take caution when around him.  He saw how people did whatever his son told them to without question.  They _knew_ his son was someone it would be unwise to disobey, let alone cross.  Even Sesshoumaru's friends', those who could call themselves that, considered him someone whom around they trod carefully.

The one man a wise man would not take his eyes from, especially if they found themselves an enemy of Sesshoumaru's.

InuTaisho knew his son would make a great Taiyoukai one day, he had no doubt about that.  In turn, he knew his son would need the right woman beside him.  She could not be weak.  She had to be someone who could stand up to his son, without being disrespectful.  It would not be easy for his son was not an easy man... never had been.  There were many women to choose from in the country, but now it was taken from them... and given to their enemy... and his son was not happy.  Not happy, at all.  But, that wasn't the worst, no his son would be able to handle that, it was the fact that Sesshoumaru believed the Higurashis had something to do with his first wife's, Sesshoumaru's birth mother's, death.

InuTaisho had his own thoughts on that subject though.  He didn't believe the Higurashis had anything to do with his late wife's death, but he would keep that to himself for now.  He would never have agreed to the marriages if he believed it.  He'd have gone to war with the Emperor before that happened.  He was surprised his son did not realize this himself.  He figured it was just a matter of time.  InuTaisho needed proof first.  He would get it too.

"Sesshoumaru..." he began and sighed.  InuTaisho pinched the bridge between his nose to try and relieve some of the pain in his head.

"What?"

InuTaisho's head snapped up at the tone in his son's voice.  He frowned.

"You will check that tone in your voice.  I am _still_ Taiyoukai here.  I am not one of the many who cower before you.  You are _not_ stronger then me yet."  InuTaisho narrowed his eyes as he stated the warning to his son's back.  He would not be disrespected and _definitely_ not by his own son.

Sesshoumaru sighed.  His father was right he did not deserve to be disrespected.  It was not his father's fault he had to wed himself to their enemy... it was the Emperor's and if he could think of a way to make the current ruler pay, he would.  Sesshoumaru's shoulders lost some of their stiffness in acceptance of his father's steely delivered warning.

"What is it Father?" he asked again, this time with less ice in his tone.

InuTaisho nodded in approval before he spoke even though his son still had his back to him and could not see the nod.

"It is just a marriage.  There is nothing that can be done about it.  Perhaps it will work out," he did not have much hope in that and hoped it didn't show in his voice.  He had already cloaked his emotions from his son.

"It is not _just_ a marriage.  I would not care, if that was the case.  I do not want to marry a Higurashi."

InuTaisho heard his son's quiet reply and sighed for the upteenth time.  He knew his son was right... it _wasn't_ just a marriage.  His son would not be so angry.  He'd heard a lot about the Higurashi daughters they were said to be very beautiful a long with other things.  Some of those things were a little difficult to believe, but he hoped that at least the part about their looks were true.  He'd never seen the daughter's with his own eyes, but a few who worked for him had seen glimpses of the girls and had corroborated, sort of, what was said about their looks.  He prayed that they were not human like some of the rumors said.  They would not survive marriage to any of his sons that way.  They'd _need _the powers they allegedly had if that was true.

Sesshoumaru starred unseeingly out the window.  His mind was preoccupied with what the Emperor had decreed.  He had some comfort in the fact that his marriage was to take place last, so it could be, at the most, three years before he had to marry the witch.  He'd come here to see if there was anything his father could do... one last try.  They were to leave soon to go meet the girls and sign the marriage certificates and all the papers dealing with the dowries soon.

His brothers weren't any happier about the decree.  Inuyasha, his father's middle son, had been stomping and throwing tantrums since they found out.  Mirouku, the youngest, had been very quiet.  Sesshoumaru didn't think his youngest brother had uttered more than two words for the last three days.  Which was odd, because he and Inuyasha were always arguing about something.  Sesshoumaru knew his youngest brother didn't like the thought of marrying a Higurashi either.  It surprised him a little, his brother _loved_ all women, it was nice to see he actually had standards.

Sesshoumaru turned to his father and starred at him.  Amber eyes met purple and locked.  Neither gave an inch, for they both knew they were right.

"When do we leave for the Higurashi's?" he asked his father.  He realized that he'd have to handle this problem on his own, he just didn't know how yet.  He figured they might as well get current matters over.

"Thirty minutes.  We're expected in an hour.  Make sure your brothers are ready to leave on time."

Sesshoumaru arched a brow at that before he exited his father's office.  He went and informed his brothers of his father's orders then went to the library to wait for his father to be ready.

InuTaisho watched his son's retreating back, hair swinging with his movements, in thought.  He knew his son was considered to be a very beautiful man, some had even been stupid enough to question the boys gender, true they were usually intoxicated at the time, but stupid non the less.  Said persons had never left from where they were with as many limbs as they had shown up with... nor did they ever get drunk again.  His son was very sensitive about his looks.  He had the uncommonly silver hair and amber eyes of his mother and a face that was so elegant and smooth it hailed a decidedly feminine appeal, but it also hailed a hardness and strength that could only be described as male.  Inuyasha also had the same hair color and eyes as Sesshoumaru, but they didn't look at all alike.  For instance, their ears were different.  Sesshoumaru had the normal pointed ears that most youkai had when in humanoid form, while Inuyasha had ears that sat on top of his head much like those of a dog.

InuTaisho thought about his youngest son, Mirouku, who was the spinning image of him.  Mirouku was the only one of his sons that had his hair and eyes.  His son's hair was not as long as his own, but it fell to his shoulder blades.  His son liked to wear his dark tresses pulled back into a low ponytail at the nape of his neck.  His youngest boy was a notorious flirt, bordering on harassment, who was knocked in the head by a woman more times then he could count.  His son took it all in stride, though he was a naturally happy person-except for lately-who most people usually enjoyed being around.  All his sons were pretty close, though the younger two sometimes looked up to their older brother.  Inuyasha liked to argue with his brothers, but it was just his way.  It didn't mean anything.  While Sesshoumaru always watched over his brothers, no matter how many times they got on his nerves.  He would never turn his back on his family... it wasn't in him.  That's why InuTaisho wanted the marriages to work.

InuTaisho knew the woman that would marry his oldest son would one day be Lady of the Western Lands.  She needed to be a woman who could fulfill that duty.  The Western Lands were one of the richest provinces in the country and one of the largest... next to the Southern Lands.  Given that the girls were the daughters of the Taiyoukai of the South he had hope that they knew how to rule; were at least taught that, but he could not be certain.  He didn't like doubt.  He would soon find out for himself, he sighed and got to his feet with a grace that was born from years of living as he had been born into.

InuTaisho left his office to go see if his sons were ready... and nearly ran into his lovely wife.  He put his hands out and caught her by the arms as he steadied her.  Her sky blue colored hair fell just pass her shoulder blades down her back as part of it fell over her shoulder with the force of her being stopped so suddenly.  She was wearing a long red gown that fell straight to her ankles.  When the dress reached her knees it flared out a little before falling the rest of the way to her ankles.  The dress sported a heart-shaped neckline with a small jacket to it.

"Sweetheart, where are you headed in such a rush?" he asked with a grin on his face.

"Looking for you," she replied and narrowed her eyes.

He arched an eyebrow at that, not even realizing just how much he looked like his son then.

"Hm.  And what are you looking for me for?"

"Are you leaving to go to the Higurashi's now?"

"Yes."

InuTaisho watched her frown and knew she was revving up for a fight.  He was not in the mood to argue with her.  He already had a migraine.  He decided to nip the argument in the bud before it happened.

"Ryumi, I have to do this.  I know you do not approve, but there is nothing I can do about it now.  We will just have to wait and see."

"Alright InuTaisho.  I am trusting them with the most important people in my life.  Let them know I am watching."

InuTaisho watched his wife's emerald eyes glow bright with anger and suppressed rage.  He leaned forward and kissed his wife's forehead before taking his leave of her to find his sons so they could be on their way.

They might as well get the formalities over with.

~***_At the Higurash Lands_*~**

Kagome sat down on a stone bench in the gardens.  She was in a different garden from the night before.  That one was hers and her sister's garden, this one was open to anyone who wished to enter.  Kagome looked down at her lap as she contemplated the dress she had on.  Her and her sisters were to meet the Masaharu son's today, or in other words their 'intendeds', and their father had told them to wear something nice... and whenever her father said to "wear something nice" he meant something like the gown she was wearing.  She hated wearing gowns like this.  She knew there would be a formal ceremony to celebrate the coming unions, but she saw no reason to dress like this.  Its not like she was going to be there.  The ceremony would only consist of her father, Lord Masaharu and the magistrate.  They would be signing papers and finalizing anything needing to be finalized.  Then the grooms and brides would be brought in to meet their mates and sign the marriage agreements.  So, what was the point in dressing like this, she wondered.

Kagome looked down at the red gown she had on in disgust.  She knew her father was doing this because he was trying to impress the Masaharus and sighed at the thought.  That was disgusting too.  Her gown was long, falling straight to her ankles.  It had a slit up the back to just above the back of her knees.  The top came straight across and fit snug to her breast showing off just a hint of cleavage.  The dress was made of silk and fit to her like a glove.  It was a lovely dress, but she much rather be in a pair of jeans and shirt.

Kagome had run into her sisters earlier and saw that they were also dressed similar to her.  Sango wore black and Kikyou was in a shiny brown dress.  Her own dress was a deep red.  They didn't look any happier about the dresses then she did.  She wondered what her sisters were doing, but didn't feel like getting up to go look for them.  Kagome closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  Digging down within herself, she reached out with her powers and searched for their auras.  She gave a slow smile when she found them.  She found Kikyou in the library, first, then she found Sango who was in the kitchens with Kirara.  Kagome made the mind link then, now that she knew where they were.

_"Hey.  What are you guys doing?"_

_"I was going to read a book to pass the time.  Papa said our guests should be here in twenty minutes."_

_"Hmm," said the other two in unison._

_"What about you Sango.  What are you doing?"_

_"Kirara is still responding to my being a 'tad' upset, and burnt mother's rosebush.  You know the one in our garden that she planted herself?  I saved it before it was lost, but Kirara did get half of it.  I just cleaned her off and now she's eating... and I did it all without getting dirty!" answered the oldest girl._

Kagome giggle at the last part of her sister's answer.  Kikyou smiled_.  _They could both imagine the frown on their sister's face as Sango said that last part with sarcasm dripping from her voice.  They knew that if anyone was to walk in on them and see them sitting there giggling and smiling to themselves they'd think the girls were crazy.  It didn't stop the reactions though.

"Very good Sango. After all, you are first.  Father will be so proud!" said Kagome with a smile in her joke in her voice.

_"You have jokes now Kagome but wait 'til you see who Papa has chosen for you.  We'll see how many jokes you have then!"_

_"I thought you said you wasn't sure yet?"_

_"Shes not," said Kikyou.  Her calm voice slipping in before the argument could start.  "Father hasn't made a decision yet.I can still sense his indecision."_

_"Ha, ha, ha.  She is right, he hasn't, but I hope it stays as I've seen it.  That would be most interesting."_

_"What would?  Who did you see me marrying Sango?"_

_"This time I'm not telling,"_ Sango said putting her nose in the air as if her sister could see her.  _At least not yet."_

_"Wha-"_

Kagome went still forgetting what she was about to say when she sensed an unfamiliar presence in their home.  She could sense four of them.  All male.  They were very powerful, but not threatening.  Kagome stopped breathing when she realized who they were.

"Kagome?" questioned Kikyou quietly.  She couldn't sense her sister, because of the link.

"Kagome?" Sango called out.  She hoped her sister was not very upset.  She was only messing with her.

They waited a moment for a response.

**"Kagome!!" **they screamed at her in unison when they didn't get one from the younger girl.

Kagome jerked out of her thoughts with a start and gasped as she pressed a hand to her chest above her heart..  Though it was a mind link, their yells came through loud and clear.

"Will you two stop yelling!"  Kagome yelled back at them.  She gave them a frown even though they were nowhere near enough to see.

"Well, you should have answered us the first time we called," said Sango with a huff.

"What is it Kagome?" Kikyou heard the irritation in her voice and something else, like nerves, she couldn't identify.

After a moment of silence Kagome replied quietly.

"They're here."

All three girls went quiet.  They knew this moment was coming, but it's a lot different when the moment finally arrives.  They were curious about the guys; they couldn't deny that.  They all felt a little weird about it.  Even though they'd put on a brave face in front of their father and they were still mad, there was one feeling they hadn't admitted to anyone of feeling...not even each other.  Fear.  They were afraid of what was to come.

"Sango are you going to go greet them?" asked Kagome.

"I don't know.  Are you? And what about you, Kikyou?" asked Sango.

"No.  I'm not.  I'm staying right here.  Papa will let us know when he's ready for us."

For once Sango and Kagome were thankful for their sister's calm and quiet logic.  They couldn't explain it, but Kikyou's lack of emotion had calmed their own nerves about the meeting.

"She's right.  I'm not going out there either.  I am not going to give them the impression I'm looking forward to this.  Father will send for us, and that will be soon enough for me," agreed Sango.  Part of her wanted to go take a peek though.

"Alright, then I'm also staying where I'm at."  Kagome slipped her heeled sandals off her feet and stretched her legs out beside her along the cushions on the bench.  She leaned her left elbow on the arm of the smooth stone and rest the side of her face in her upturned palm.  She figured she might as well get comfortable, it would be at least another half an hour before the two Lords would be finished with all the legal stuff.  "I guess I'll see you guys in half an hour."

"Yeah, okay."

"Yes."

Kagome listened to their replies and smiled before she cut the link.

Sango sat down on one of the chairs at the small table in the kitchen.  Kikyou leaned her head back as she curled her feet up beneath her in the large armchair she occupied.  They all settled back to wait for their futures to be decided by their father.  A future that they had no say in.

~In Lord Higurashi's Office~

Onigumo starred at the four men now taking up the floor space in front of his desk.  They were all dressed in beautiful three-piece suits.  He studied each son separately.  He knew who each one was so he had no problem in that area.  This was the first time he had them so close that he could study them.

He looked to the youngest one first.  The one his Sango would be marrying.  He had a good build and height.  Onigumo figured the boy stood the same height as his daughter.  There was a soft spot in the younger son's eyes that he didn't see in the other two sons.  He saw a gleam there too.  He had a feeling this son had a sense of humor.  Onigumo knew he'd made the right choice for Sango now.  His daughter could use a little humor in her life.  Then again, so could his middle daughter too.  'Actually, that one could use more than just some humor.  She need someone to make her let go,' he thought with an inward sigh.

Onigumo looked to the next Masaharu son.  He knew this one was called Inuyasha.  He could see the anger in the young youkai's eyes.  He could see Inuyasha was fighting himself to keep still.  'He wants more than anything to get his hands on me,' he thought to himself and tried not to laugh out loud.  His wife made him promise not to cause any trouble and he would keep his word... or he knew there would be hell to pay and he'd be the one paying it.  'This one is full of emotions.  Maybe...'

Onigumo's thoughts trailed off as he looked to the oldest son and starred.  He was just as beautiful as he'd been told.  He wondered how the young man felt about that.  Onigumo couldn't tell what the son named Sesshoumaru was thinking.  His face was like a mask; it showed him nothing.  'Except for his eyes.'  Onigumo could see the strength, a lethal power, behind his gold hued eyes.  'This one, is not a person many people have crossed and lived to talk about it.  I have no doubt he will rule well when his time comes... but thee is too much ice in him for my Kikyou.'

Onigumo wasn't sure this one was the right choice for his Kagome either, but he figured she was the best one for him.  He thought about the marriage they would have and figured in could only end in a drastic way.  They would either end up madly in love and devoted to one another or... one would kill the other.  He wondered how the young heir would fare against his youngest daughter.  He could not see either of them settling for a 'marriage in name only' or anything like that.  It was the only way these marriages had a chance though.  Onigumo sighed and sat down behind his desk.  He'd made his decision and now it was time to make it known.

"Masaharu."

Lord InuTaisho arched a brow as he watched the other man take a seat.  He'd watched Onigumo study his sons and was curious to find out what the other Taiyoukai thought.  After all, this man was his greatest rival... and now the Emperor was set on making them family.  He just didn't understand it.

"Higurashi"

Onigumo nodded for the other man to take a seat before he spoke.

"Shall we get this over with?  None of us is happy about this, but since nothing can be done about it... we shall make the best of it."

Onigumo watched InuTaisho take a seat quietly before he focused on the three lined behind their father then addressed them.

"You three will have to wait outside as I'm sure you know.  This is between your father and I," he watched two pairs of amber eyes and one purple pair flash in anger.  He figured they didn't care for him giving them orders.  He didn't care.  This was his home.

Onigumo arched an eyebrow when none of them made the slightest move to leave the office.

"It alright.  Go ahead.  This won't take long," InuTaisho addressed his sons; never turning around.  He kept his eyes on his enemy and smirked.  'The bastard thinks he can order my sons!'

Onigumo watched the younger two look at their brother and him in turn give them a slight nod.  They turned to leave the room with Sesshoumaru picking up the rear.

"Do not worry.  Your Father will not be harmed."  Onigumo couldn't help adding.  He smiled when the oldest boy turned at the last moment to give him an assessing look.  He grinned at the young man.

Sesshoumaru starred at the Taiyoukai behind the desk for a moment before arching an eyebrow at the Lord.

"Of course he won't be.  I do not imagine you would be so stupid," he said in his quiet tones.  There was a hardness in his voice that was unmistakable.  He was letting the Taiyoukai know that if anything should happen he would kill him.  He watched the grin fall from the Taiyoukai of the Southern Lands face before he left the room behind his brothers.

InuTaisho watched the small flash of fear in the other Lord's blood red eyes and couldn't help the sense of pride he felt towards his eldest son just then.  He saw the feeling leave the Taiyoukai just as fast as it had come to be replaced by a thoughtful, contemplative look.

"Interesting..."

InuTaisho heard the murmured word and immediately wondered what the Lord found so 'interesting'.

"What?" he asked with a curious tilt of his head.

"Your son."

"Ah," that one syllable held a wealth of meaning.  He knew exactly what the Lord meant now.  "Yes.  Do you think one of your daughters can handle my son?"

Onigumo had to smile at that.  He was just wondering that very thing, wasn't he?  Except vice versa.

"I think so," he had to fight not to laugh.  "I just wonder.... can he handle her, do you think?"

InuTaisho didn't see what was so funny and gave him an inquisitive look before answering.  He thought the question was stupid though.  He didn't think there was a woman alive his son couldn't handle, but he decided to keep that thought as just a thought.

"I wouldn't know.  Your daughters are still a mystery for me."

Onigumo nodded at that.

"Hm, yes that's right.  Well, you will meet them very soon.  Then you will see what I know and you will understand my smile.  You can give me your opinion then."

InuTaisho nodded to show he understood before dismissing the subject and moving on.

"So you have decided which one of your daughters is marrying which one of my sons?"

"Yes," he gave a half smile and continued, "Actually I've just made my final decision."

InuTaisho waited a moment to see if he would continue.  When he didn't the Taiyoukai asked.

"And?"

"You wish to know?  Now?  What good would that do?  You do not know my daughters to put a face to the names.

InuTaisho realized this was true, but he still wanted to know.  When he stayed quiet waiting for a full minute the other Lord caught the hint.  For a second, InuTaisho thought he was going to refuse, but then he saw him sigh and begin to talk.

"Very well.  My Sango will be marrying your Mirouku, my Kikyou to Inuyasha and lastly my Kagome... to your Sesshoumaru."

~Back in the Castle Gardens~

He and his brothers had decided to look around while they waited and so they separated into different directions.  Sesshoumaru walked through the open glass door that he saw led into a garden.  He was just about to turn back around and go back out when he saw the figure draped in red lounging against a bench.  He moved closer to her and looked her over from head to toe.  He decided she had very nice curves to her body as he looked at her face.  Her face was lovely with a nice shaped nose and full lips that begged to be kissed.  Her eyelashes were long where they lay against her cheek.  He had a sudden need to have her open her eyes.  Sesshoumaru figured this was probably one of the 'brides' from what she was wearing.  He could sense she was not a sleep, though she had yet to notice he was there.  Or so he thought.

Sesshoumaru was still starring at her face when he got his wish... she opened her eyes.

Kagome had sensed the unknown person the moment they came into the garden.  She tried to wait the person out; she didn't feel like doing the pretty, but when she realized the person, who ever they were, weren't leaving she decided she might as well open her eyes and speak.  So she did.

"Hel-," the word caught in her throat when she opened her eyes and she saw who was there. 

Blue clashed with gold immediately.  Kagome sucked in her breath and starred at the vision in front of her and mentally sighed.  'Oh my God!' she thought,  'Please, don't let him be stupid'

Sesshoumaru was glad she opened her eyes... they were beautiful.  She was beautiful!  Then she spoke and it took everything for him not to sigh in pure pleasure.

"Hello."

~At the same time, In the Library~

Inuyasha opened a pair of large oak doors and stomped in muttering to himself about stupid Emperors and the like before he realized it was the one place he never went voluntarily.  He hated books!  He looked to the left and amber eyes connected with cinnamon and locked.  Inuyasha didn't know anyone was in the room.  She was so quiet.  He guessed she was one of the daughters.  She was very pretty.  He wondered which one of them, him or one of his brothers, would be marrying her.

Kikyou had watched the inu-youkai stalk into the room with anger. She could sense he was angry, hurt, and worried, but he used the hurt to hide the others.  She tilted her head in thought as she studied him.  She thought he was very handsome and well built too.  Kikyou wondered if he was the one said to be too handsome.  If he was, she thought they may have overstated the case a bit.

Kikyou leveled a calm look on him then spoke.

"Hello."

Inuyasha's eyes widened.

~Also, at the same time.  Some hall in the Castle~

 Sango emerged from the kitchen and was too deep in thought to worry about looking where she was going.  She'd walked these halls enough to do it with her eyes closed.  Not paying attention to where she was going, Sango walked straight into a solid wall and started to fall backwards.  Sango shrieked and closed her eyes as she fell; waiting to meet the floor.  It never came.

Mirouku was too busy observing his surroundings and missed seeing the woman who stepped out of the doorway a little ways in front of him and to the left.  Next thing he knew her slight figure had collided with his heavier one.  When he saw her going down he did the only thing he could think of at the time... he reached his arms around her waist to stop her descent.

For a moment they just stood there like that.  As if they had been dancing and he'd dipped her backwards as a finale.

Since her eyes were still closed Mirouku took the opportunity to study her face without her notice.  She had bangs that hung straight over her forehead to just above her eyebrows, her lashes were long and thick and he could tell her skin was alabaster smooth.  He had no idea what color her eyes were for obvious reasons.  Her nose was small and straight tapering down to her mouth.  Mirouku focused on her mouth then.  It was a little wide sporting a heavier bottom lip then her top one.  Very inviting he decided with a grin.  He wondered if he would be rewarded for his quick hands... and for the effort he was using to keep those same hands from roaming.  He moved back up to her eyes and was just about to speak when they opened.  'Liquid chocolate.'  That thought had just run through his head when he heard her suck in her breath and her body tense in his arms.

Sango had held her breath when she waited to hit the ground and had to get herself back together to realize she wasn't falling anymore and resumed breathing.  'Where the hell did that wall come from!?'  She was still leaned backward in a position she couldn't possibly hold by herself she noticed when her mind registered the arms wrapped around her waist.  'Strong arms at that,' she thought.  'So, I ran into a person, not a wall that shouldn't have been there.  Good to know.'  She could feel the muscles against her back flex every now and then.  Sango was waiting to be levered back to her feet, but when it never happened, she'd thought to open her eyes to thank the person for their assistance.

The words were stuck in her throat when she met a pair of familiar purple eyes... eyes that had so far only been in her visions.  'This was no vision,' she thought and sucked in her breath audibly.

"You..."


	3. Now, To Put It In Writing

Disclaimer:  I own nothing!!  Except maybe my story, but none of the characters in it... so to claim the story wouldn't really do much good, would it??!!

A/N:  Sorry to all those who's hearts were set on a Inu/Kag pairing.  I thought about it, but I just could not wrap my mind around a Sess/Kik pairing!!  I'm not **_that_** imaginative...  But, I would like to tell you that I do have a Inu/Kag story coming, so please forgive me... and you may not want to read Book III: A Marriage Made In Love... (you can guess who that couple will be!)  There is also the fact their is a mystery villain running through here... and he won't be revealed 'til the last book, but you'll get hints from those who work for and with him in the first two books!  Once again gomen ne, minna.

~*duchess

Book I:  The Feud:  A Marriage Made In Heaven.

Chapter3:  Now, To Put It In Writing.

_~In the Hallway outside the Kitchens~_

Mirouku heard the girls whispered word and watched her eyes widen with a mixture of fear, surprise and wonder.  From the look on her face and what she said he gathered she must be one of the daughters.  'She's very beautiful.  I see one rumor was true.'  He wondered which sister she was.

When she placed her hands on his shoulders he felt her tremble just a little and he came out of his musings.  He flashed a grin at her when he noticed the fear in her eyes had died and all that was left was surprise and wonder.

Sango could fell the blood rush to her face.

"C-Could you lift me back up, please?"

"Huh," he began before he noticed her slight blush and it clicked, "Oh yeah!  Sorry."

Mirouku took two steps back and pulled her to a standing position; keeping his arms around her waist.  He stood holding her like that for a moment with his body only and inch away from hers.

They starred at each other a moment longer.  Sango lowered her eyes to his arms when she started to feel embarrassed.  Catching the hint, Mirouku removed his arms from her waist hastily and took a quick step back.  An awkward silence fell between them and they both had to fight to keep from fidgeting.  Mirouku decided it was time to fill the silence, it wasn't like him to be so nervous with a female, even one as beautiful as her.

"Uhh... I was just..." he began when he suddenly remembered her whispered _'You...'_ when she opened her eyes.  _'Have I met her before?'_ he wondered to himself.  Mirouku couldn't place her face and he couldn't believe he would **ever** forget _that _face.  He decided to put the question to her.  "Have we met before?"

Sango blinked at the unexpected question.

"Excuse me?" she asked; still confused.

"When you opened your eyes you said 'you' like you knew me... or at least seen me before.  I don't recall seeing you before though.  And I don't think I would forget, but it seems I have because you _do_ know me, don't you?"

'So, he doesn't know who I am!' she thought with and inward smile.  Sango had to fight to keep from laughing out loud.  She found it truly funny in a weird sort of way that he was going to marry her in less then two weeks and he had no idea who she was.  _'Arranged marriages to stop a war... God must be rolling on the floor laughing at this one,' _she thought with a sigh.  Sango looked into his eyes and wondered if she should tell him who she was.  _'No.  He'll find out soon enough.'_

"Yes, I do know you," she replied with a smile that held much more meaning then he knew.

"So, we have met before?  Where?"

"No.  We've never met before today."

"But... you just said that you know me."

"Hm., so I did.  Let me rephrase that.  I've _seen_ you before."

"Oh."  This was becoming very intriguing to him.  _She_ was intriguing.  "Where have you seen me?"

Sango gave him a huge smile full of secrets and promises as she stepped closer to him.  She leaned forward and softly grazed his ear with her lips.  Then she answered his question.

"In my... dreams."

She whispered in his ear and pulled back to lock eyes with his for a second before stepping pass him and continuing down the hall in the direction he'd come from.  She was going to find her sisters and tell them she'd just met her soon-to-be husband and how handsome he was.

Mirouku spun around and watched her walk gracefully away.  The sway of her black, clad hips catching his attention and putting very nice thoughts into his head starring her and him.  He gave a silent thank you to whoever made the dress she was wearing.  She was half way down the hall before he found his voice.

"HEY!  WHATS YOUR NAME?"

Sango stopped at his yelled question and turned to look over her shoulder at him while still keeping her back to him.

"You'll find out."

With those words she turned the corner and was out of his line of vision.

Mirouku thought about chasing her down, but decided not to.  His palms were itching from the restraint he'd put himself through to keep from roaming over the mystery woman's curves.  He figured from her statement that he'd run into her again, so he decided he'd get her name then.  Mirouku continued on his way down the hall; it never even occurred to him that the woman in question was a Higurashi and therefore, one of the 'brides'.

_~*Back in the Castle Gardens*~_

Sesshoumaru let her voice wash over him as he schooled his face to stay blank and show no reaction.  He was absolutely sure she was a Higurashi now.  He wondered whom her father had decided she would marry.  Though he found her beautiful, her looks did not make up for her blood; the fact she was a Higurashi.  Sesshoumaru had decided he would go through with his marriage to whichever Higurashi was chosen for him, not that he had a choice, but there was no way in Hell he was bedding one.  And he knew as long as he didn't consummate the union he had a chance of getting rid of the unwanted bride in the future.

Sesshoumaru hoped this was not the daughter chosen for him; it would be very difficult to deny himself her if she was his for the taking.

Kagome starred up at the man in front of her with a glazed look in her eye.  She knew he was one of the Masaharu sons.  He had to be!  She wondered if he was the one they say was 'too beautiful for words'.  _'If he was... damn, if they didn't peg that one right.  He's gorgeous,'_ she thought with another sigh.  She hated to think what one of the other brothers looked like, if _this one_ was not the one rumored about.  Now, all she hoped for is that he not be stupid.  That would ruin all her illusions, because, while beauty was all good and nice to have a brain and a personality was much better; they last longer.  Just the simple thought of him being stupid cleared the glaze from her eyes.

Kagome stood up gracefully and couldn't believe how much taller than her he was.  She had to tilt her head back to keep eye contact with him.  _'Damn, he's as tall as Papa.'_  'He had to be every bit of six feet something,' she guessed and that was a lot compared to her five feet and two inches of height in her bare feet... and they were still bare.

She wondered what he sounded like since he hadn't responded to her greeting.  As she stood their starring up at him she figured it might be good to say something before the silence made her daft.  She was never very good with silence.

"Hello," she decided to say it again.  Maybe she'd actually get a response this time, though she didn't know why she thought so.

Sesshoumaru gave her slight nod in response and watched her shoulders sag in defeat.  He wondered why she seemed disappointed.  _'Does she know who I am and that is why she is disappointed?'_ he asked himself.  No, it couldn't be that.  The thought confused him.  Sesshoumaru had never had a woman be disappointed at seeing him..._for any reason_.  Though many women became a little afraid when he comes around they _always_ seemed happy to see him.  He did not question his appeal to women, he just took as it was and most of the time ignored it.

Sesshoumaru had a feeling she affected men the way he affected women.  He figured that was why she didn't look like she was about to swoon at his feet.  He was glad for that since he had no intentions of catching her if she did; he'd have to touch her to do that and he was _not _touching a filthy Higurashi.

Sesshoumaru thought about this and decided he should be sure before he counted her out.  Maybe he could make her his mistress, if she wasn't a Higurashi, when the time came to marry the other girl.

Kagome was oblivious to the conceited thoughts going through Sesshoumaru's mind.  And a good thing that was, because if she did and heard the latter part of his thoughts she would have blistered his ears so badly, he'd be feeling the pain for years.

"You are a Higurashi, yes?"

Kagome started at the sound of his voice.  It wasn't loud, on the contrary it was low and silky with a trace of steel in it, his voice was just unexpected since she'd come to the conclusion that he wasn't going to speak to her.  The reality of her being wrong was what made her jump at the sound of his voice.  She then remembered he'd asked her a question and smiled at him in acknowledgement.

"Yes," she nodded, "I am Higurashi Kagome.  Who are you?"  She already knew he was a Masaharu; she had no doubt about that.

Sesshoumaru felt his heart give a little jerk when she smiled at him. _'What the hell was that?!'_ he thought to himself in disbelief.  He had no idea why his heart responded to her smile, but decided to ignore it instead of exploring it further.

"Hmm," he looked her body up and down starting from her bare toes to the top of her head stopping to take in certain areas of her body, like the flare of her hips and the generous curves of her breast, before moving upwards.  He even took in the fall of her waist length hair, which was hanging a little past her waist since her head was tilted so far back.  "Too bad."

Kagome's eyes went wide when he finished his statement.  _'Huh?  What was 'too bad' about her being a Higurashi?'_ she wondered to herself before she decided to put the question to him.  Kagome had just figured that if her sisters and her could come to terms with marrying a Masaharu that they had too, it never occurred to her that they hadn't already accepted what couldn't be changed.  She immediately forgot about the fact that he didn't answer her question.

When she opened her mouth to speak she sucked in her breath in indignation instead.  At the same time she was about to speak, he'd turned on his heels and presented her with his back as he started to walk away from her... with no explanation of his words _or_ a farewell.

Kagome surprise quickly changed to anger.  She didn't like rudeness... and damn if he wasn't being rude.  There was no excuse for being rude.  Her anger surged higher.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU MEAN BY THAT?!" she yelled at his retreating back.  When he didn't stop walking or turn to acknowledge her yelled question she steamed even more.  _'Well...'_

"Arrogant son of bi-" she began under her breath in a murmur only to stop herself when she realized what she was about to call him... or more importantly, call his mother.

Kagome was starring down at her feet with the tips of her fingers covering her mouth looking mortified at the road her thoughts had taken when she heard his voice come back to her.

"I heard that."

Kagome's head shot up when she heard this to see if he had stopped walking, but all she saw was a glimpse of silver hair as he turned the corner and left her sight.  She suddenly remembered what kind of youkai his family was and felt the blood tinge her cheeks a little in embarrassment.  _'Damn dog ears!'_

She sighed to herself and slipped her shoes back on and went to find her sisters and relay to them what just happened.

~*_In the Library*~_

Inuyasha listened to the quiet tone of her voice and felt a shiver go down his spine.  The shiver was more from the look in her eyes then her voice though.  Her voice was pleasant enough, soft and feminine, but it was her eyes that held him.  They were a clear, soft brown and they seemed to be able to look right through him to the inside and see exactly what he was feeling.  He didn't like it.  It was almost as if he had no secret he could keep from her.

He watched her shut her eyes and unconsciously took a step closer to her.  And then he took another step, and then another.  Her whole being seemed to glow a light gold and he wasn't sure if it was from her or the lamps around her.  Inuyasha was so enthralled with her he had no idea he was moving closer.

Kikyou watched him stare at her.  She could feel the wariness wash over him as well as the reluctant curiosity.  She shut her eyes for a second and calmed her senses as she searched for what was bothering him.  After her eyes popped back open with understanding.  She saw that he was closer to her then he was before and still staring at her.

When she opened her eyes the glow around her suddenly stopped.  Inuyasha took a look around her in confusion.  He was wondering if he imagined the glow when his eyes settled back on hers.  He tilted his head to the side in silent speculation.

Kikyo saw the confusion in his eyes and wondered at it.

"What?" she asked after a moment of tense silence.

Inuyasha blinked at her once before straightening his head in thought.

"You...' he began with a shake of his head causing his long silver locks to sway with the action. "You were glowing just a moment ago... weren't you?"

Kikyou was so transfixed with watching the flow of his silver locks that fell to the middle of his back that she wasn't prepared for his question.  Her eyes immediately popped back to his as she went still!

_'Ah, damn Kikyou!  What possessed you to use your 'gift' while he was watching you?'  _Kikyou sighed to herself.  She was usually more careful then this... especially around someone who was considered her enemy... and he was _that._  Kikyou knew he was one of the Masaharu sons.  She had no doubt about that.

She had a gift for being able to sense and feel other people's emotions.  With her gift she could see a person's greatest desire... as well as their greatest fear, if she wanted.  When she was younger she was assaulted with peoples emotions a lot when she hadn't had the skill to control it; to build herself a wall to keep from going crazy.  She could feel a person's pain, joy, sorrow, fear, hate, want, longing, and any other emotion that the body and heart was prey too.  She could feel it all and it was not always pleasant when she was younger.  She could even feel it in certain animals.  So, she'd learned to protect herself from the emotions and in doing so she'd locked off her own behind a cool wall of logic and sanity.  She knew it was the only way she could survive this 'power' of hers that was both gift and curse.

Kikyou knew that when she used her gift a light golden glow formed around her body... it was her ki.  Because of this, she was usually more careful when she was around strangers to keep from doing this in front of them.  She didn't know what made her forget this time and do it in front of him.

She looked into his eyes and saw that he didn't really know what he saw and decided to further confuse him, since she was never very good at lying.  Her sisters informed of this flaw _many _times.  They say she was the one who got them all in trouble with Papa when they were younger and doing something they had no business doing.  She smiled inwardly at the thought of their very 'adventurous' childhood.  Thanks mostly to each of their 'unique' gifts.  As for her ability to lie, she shrugged that off.  She did not think it was something someone should aspire to be _good_ at anyway.  Not to mention, that her sisters, themselves, were also very bad at telling lies.  Their mother said it came from their inherent need to be honest.

"Glow, you say?" she asked with a half smile.  At his nod her smile grew wider.  "Thank you.  Papa says I have a glow to my complexion as well, though I don't see it myself."

She was surprised that her normal look of calm politeness stayed on her face.  Kikyou was a bit nervous; she didn't want to give her secret away.  She had no doubt he would find out sooner or later when he ended up married to one of her sisters, but she preferred to keep it to herself for now.  She had the odd feeling that _he_ was not going to like her gift very much... not, at all.

Inuyasha gave her an odd look.  He understood that she thought he was giving her a compliment of sorts about her skin tone, but he wasn't doing any such thing.  He could have sworn she'd started glowing.  He'd heard that each sister had some special 'power' or something, but he'd always figured that part of the rumors were nothing but lies.  Now, he wasn't so sure.  _'She did start glowing... didn't she?"_  He wasn't sure about _that_ anymore either.  He decided to let it go for now, but he'd keep his eyes open in future, after all, she would be marrying one of his brothers.  He wanted to be sure that she would not be a threat to them or anyone else in his family.  On that note, he decided he'd have to watch all _three_ sisters since the rumor was about them all.

Kikyou could feel the confusion coming from him still, but she could also sense that he'd decided to drop it.  She sighed in relief as she got to her feet.  Just then she noticed he was a good six inches taller then her and tilted her head slightly back to make eye contact.  _'He really has lovely eyes,_' she thought as she looked at his face and head.  Her eyes settle on his ears and this time she gave a genuine smile.

"Which son are you?" she asked softly; her eyes still on his ears.

Kikyou saw his ears twitch to catch what she said and felt a sudden need to touch them.  She had to ball her fists to keep from reaching up and rubbing his ears.  She looked back into his eyes in a hope to quell her need to touch.  _'As they say...'out of sight, out of mind' right'_

Inuyasha locked eyes with her and debated whether to answer her query or not.  He decided it couldn't do any harm; she was going to learn who he was pretty soon anyway.

"I am Masaharu Inuyasha.  Second son."

_'So, he's one of the brothers left for Kagome or me'._  She could see the obvious pride he had when saying that and fought down a smile.  She nodded her head in acknowledgement before lowering her eyes and stepping around him.  She walked gracefully to the door, but stopped when she reached it to turn and look at him.  Instead of getting a view of his back, she saw that he'd turned around to watch her leave.

Their gazes locked once more.

Inuyasha had turned to watch her walk away when she'd stepped pass him.  His eyes had fallen to the sway of her hips in the brown dress that fit her like a glove.  He watched the fabric caress her backside with every graceful step she took.  He could feel his body temperature rising.  _'It was nice to see one rumor was indeed true.'_  When the swaying stopped he looked up to see her turning her head in his direction and locked his golden eyes on hers.

"Nice to meet you, Inuyasha Masaharu."

He felt a shudder travel his body at the sound of his name on her lips and his eyes widened in shock before they began to darken a bit with lust.

Kikyou watched him for a moment and felt the changing emotions go through him.  When he felt lust for her she felt an answering call within herself and wondered at it.  She'd felt men lust after her before, but this was the first time she felt like responding to it.  She didn't understand it.  Then as abruptly as he'd come in, she turned her head away and left.  She was going to find her sisters.

Inuyasha watched her leave before he turned back to look at the armchair she'd just vacated.  He could still smell her lingering scent in the room.  It was a mixture of lavender and lilacs and something else.  'Very pleasing to the senses' he thought.  Just then another rumor came to mind... the one about the sisters being human even thought their parents were well known youkai.  He sniffed her scent again and smelled the same thing; lavender, lilacs, and something more, but he couldn't identify it.  He didn't smell any youkai blood.  He wondered if the smell he couldn't identify might be it.  _'But, shouldn't I be able to identify it, if it was that?'_ he asked himself in puzzlement.

Inuyasha looked down in thought then and froze when his eyes fell on a pair of women's shoes the color of the dress the girl who'd just left the room was wearing.  He tried to think back to when she left the room to remember if her feet were bare.  He couldn't remember, but figured they must be since the shoes were there next to the foot of the chair sitting neatly side-by-side.

A slow smile came to his face then.  He'd pegged her for a very logical neat freak and the thought of her walking around in her bare feet or stockings didn't seem very logical to him.  His smile grew as he realized that even though he didn't see it, he'd unnerved her.  The thought made him feel like puffing his chest out with male pride.  He refrained from doing it though.

Inuyasha turned around and quit the room to go back to the office and see how much longer they would be here.  He was ready to go.

~*_In the office of Lord Onigumo*~_

Both Lords watched the magistrate leave the room on his way to find a bathroom.  They had just finished all the necessary signing of the legal documents.  There would be a substantial dowry going with Sango when she married Mirouku.  And in turn, there would be an 'inheritance', they called it since dowry just didn't sound right, going with Inuyasha when he married Kikyou.  As for Sesshoumaru and Kagome's marriage, with the promise that she would be legally given the right to be Lady of the Western Lands from the union even though it was strange, Sesshoumaru would get the right to be heir to the lordship of the Southern Lands should the child Onigumo's wife was carrying turned out to be another girl.

Onigumo didn't like that little clause, but he could think of worse people to rule after him and suffice to say Sesshoumaru was not on the list of bad or worse people to rule his lands.

Since everything was just about final, all they needed were the bride's and the groom's signatures, he called out for his long time friend and confidant, Toutousai, to come into the office.

Both Lords turned around as the older man came floating into the office.

Toutousai was sitting in mid-air with his legs and arms crossed.  His chin was pressed down against his chest and his eyes were closed.  He was not asleep; he was in deep thought.

When he came to a stop just inside the doorway Toutousai lifted his head and opened his eyes.  He was just thinking about the two lords locked up in the office taking steps, reluctantly, to combine their two families.  He'd waited along time for this day.  Well, not actually _this_, he'd entertained the thought of them two putting aside their differences and working together, but this was good too.  Maybe this would lead to them working together.  He hoped so, because if what he believed was right, they had a common enemy and that enemy was out to destroy both the Higurashis and the Masaharus.  Permanently.

He had tried to tell both Lords this once, they both were good friends of his, but neither would listen.  He had a feeling that they each already knew part of what he was telling them anyway.

Toutousai dropped his train of thought for the moment and locked eyes with Onigumo.

"Onigumo.  InuTaisho" he nodded in greeting to them both.  "What can I do for you, my lords?"

"Ah, Toutousai my friend.  Could you fetch my daughters for me and tell them they are needed here now?"

"Of course.  I shall return shortly."

As Onigumo asked the sword maker to do that, InuTaisho sent a telepathic message to Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, and Mirouku to come back to the office.  They had informed him that they were already on their way there.

Both Lords watched the older man leave the room to do Onigumo's bidding.  He was the only man who was friend to both the Masaharu's and the Higurashis.

"Thank you Toutousai-san."

"Ah, not necessary.  I like the lovely girls.  So much fire!"

They heard the older man reply as he kept floating away.

When he was out of sight InuTaisho turned back to look at Onigumo with a puzzled look on his face.

Onigumo responded to the other Taiyoukai's look.

"What?"

InuTaisho shrugged before answering.  "I was just wondering why you don't just call the girls to you telepathically?"  He was slyly trying to find out if the girl's were human and not youkais like the rumors said.

Onigumo knew what the other lord was up to, but dismissed it.

"Masaharu?  Do you remember my wife Atsuki?  More importantly, do you remember the temper she is blessed with?"

InuTaisho saw a brief image come to mind of a beautiful niko-youkai with sharp blue eyes and red hair.  He remembered that the woman had a temper that rivaled the fire in her hair.  He remembered once being in an argument with his own wife and thinking there was only one woman he knew of who's temper was worse then his wife Ryumi's temper and being thankful that _that_ woman was married to his greatest enemy.

"Yes," he gave a slight grimace and continued, "I remember very well."

"Well, lets just say my daughters take after their mother in some ways.  It would not be good for me to make a telepathic link when I have no idea what or where they are at the moment."

"Meaning..."

"Meaning," he began with a lift of his eyebrows; he thought the meaning was obvious, "that should they be, say in the tub, it could go very badly for me... and anyone else with sensitive hearing."

"Ah, I see," said InuTaisho in understanding; then in afterthought he asked, "You fear your daughters?"  He could not believe this of the man who had earned the name 'Naraku' in battle.

"No." Onigumo smiled though the smile did not reach his eyes.  "I just do not see a reason to cause problems where one could easily be avoided.  Especially with my sweet Kagome... _she_ can be worse then her mother and she's pregnant."

"Hmm, so the one you wish to marry to my Sesshoumaru, my heir has a large temper."  InuTaisho couldn't help but notice this fact and point it out.

"Are you worried for your son, InuTaisho?" asked Onigumo with a gleam in his eye.

InuTaisho arched an eyebrow at that.

"Of course not."  He knew his son could handle himself in any cercumstances.

Onigumo nodded at this before speaking his thoughts.

"You should be."

Then they both settled down to wait for their children to make an appearance.  InuTaisho more then a little curious drummed his fingers on the arm of his seat impatiently as he bent one of his legs at the knee and rested his ankle on his other knee.

Onigumo had a sinking feeling his girls were going to take there sweet time getting here, too.  He leaned back and made himself comfortable.


	4. Joining The Meeting

Disclaimer:  S. O .S.  (Same ole' Shit)

Author Response:  Thank you all who reviewed I really appreciate it!  I didn't think so many people would like this!  I'm truly honored.

The Feud:  Book I:  A Marriage Made In Heaven.

Chapter 4:  Joining The Meeting!!

Toutousai thought about his two closest friends and the woman, Tsunami, who'd started this war; long dead now.  The two Lords of the past had been in love with the beauty and she... she'd loved them both as well.  Her father had pledged her hand to one Lord, like father's were want to do in those days, while she in turn had promised her hand to the other Lord in private.  At the same time the land in question had belonged to the woman, given to her by a late grandmother or other (if he remembered correctly), and it was meant to go to the man she married.  When the first Lord had shown up to claim his bride, the second Lord had not been far behind.  It didn't help matters that the two Taiyoukais had been friends since before they could walk.  In the end no marriage had taken place, the woman had died, and a war had begun... a war that would last 400 years.

He'd never imagined he'd live to see the end of the war, after all the woman who'd in a sense caused the war had been his cousin.  He'd always imagined he'd die in battle or under sneaky circumstances like so many before him had.  It had been very difficult staying neutral in the battle between the two great families... and very sad.  These two families had been friends for many years and many believed they would stay friends for many more.  No one had ever imagined something could break the bond between these two families.

_'There is a thin line between love and hate,'_ thought the old man wearily.  He was tired of all the fighting.  He wanted to rest and for once he had a feeling that the Emperor's decree, scary though it was, was probably his way of getting it.  Provided the children in question didn't kill each other in the process.  Toutousai wasn't stupid though, he knew that these marriages was the one way to push them right back into battle as well.  At this point, it could go either way.  The only problem now is that he _knew_ the Emperor's own army would join the fighting this time... which meant that there would be much more blood shed.  It was possible that every family member could die in the battle and if the Emperor so chose he could try to strip both families of their lands and title.  And everyone knew that Tao was not a patient man, if this idea didn't show progress and that it had a hope of working there was no telling what the Emperor would do.

What really worried the old black smith was the fact that there was obviously someone else playing in the game... and whoever that person was, they were out to destroy _both _families.

Toutousai sighed heavily.  Whoever the hidden enemy was, he wondered if he knew that if either Lord ever got evidence to prove their existence that he would be the resounding reason to bring these two families back together; a common enemy... that wasn't each other.  He'd have to wait and see how things went and if things didn't seem to be going the right way, why then he'd just help it along a bit.  _'There's still some match making powers in these old bones of mine.'_

Toutousai sensed the girls were just up ahead of him outside of their father's billiards room.  And they were all together, he was happy to note.  He'd hate to have to track each one down in the large castle.  When he spotted them he floated over to them.  He couldn't get over how beautiful they all were standing there in their fine gowns.

He smiled his gaped tooth smile when they saw him floating their way.

"Toutousai-san," smiled Sango.  "How are you?"

"I'm fine, fine."

Kagome stepped forward and pressed a kiss to his cheek.  "Good to hear that Toutousai-san."

Kikyou smiled and gave him a hug.  He was the one person who she always showed genuine affection for.  He was the first person to help her understand her power.

"Hello Toutousai-san," she whispered into his ear before stepping back.

"So, Papa send you for us?" asked Sango with a glint in her chocolate eyes.

"Hai, they are ready for you and the young men."

The girls exchanged a look before turning back to the man who was like an ojiisan to them.  They smiled at him and nodded their heads in understanding.

"Alright, Toutousai-san.  Tell father we are on our way, onegai."

Toutousai looked from one girl to the next, and the next.  He could tell from the look in their eyes that they were up to something.

"What are you three planning?" he asked suspiciously.

"Nothing ojiisan," smiled Kagome sweetly.  "We would not dare to embarrass Papa in such a way."

_'Okay now I **know** they're up to something,'_ he thought with a huff and tried his hardest to smother his laughter.  He couldn't help appreciating a good prank.  He knew they only called him 'ojiisan' when they wanted him to shut up and be happy.

Toutousai sighed and took his leave of his favorite girls.  He knew he could say nothing to change their minds, besides he was kind of hoping to get a good show.  He laughed at the thought as he floated away.

The girls watched as the old man left laughing to himself.  They shook their heads affectionately at his retreating form.

"Well, as I was saying the one I met was beautiful and rude!  I have a feeling he's the one that we've heard about.  Trust me, if there's one thing he _is_, its beautiful," said Kagome with a twist of her lips.  _'Not to mention an asshole of the first kind!'_

"I used my powers in front of him."

**"WHAT?!?"**

Sango and Kagome turned to their sister with identical startled looks on their faces.  They couldn't believe what they just heard.  Kikyou never made mistakes like that

"I don't know what happened.  I could sense all these mixed emotions running through him.  He was handsome and torn.  I was curious... and the next thing I knew he was asking me about the glow," she explained simply.

They stared at her passive face in shock.  They wondered about this son that could make their very practical sister forget her ways.  They knew she was worried though, even though they couldn't see it.  They knew her too well to not be able to understand her.

"What was his reaction?" asked Kagome quietly.

"I gave him some lame line and confused him, but I know he is not going to forget what he saw...or rather what he _thinks_ he saw.  I think it will be a problem later."

"What do you mean?" asked Sango.  She didn't like the sound of her sister's voice.

"I mean that it will be a problem.  I don't think he is going to like knowing someone can sense everything he feels.  I feel it will be even worse if I turn out to be his bride."

"Hmm," they sighed in unison.

"Yes, hmm."

"What about you Sango?  Did you meet one too?"

"Yes, I met the one I'm to marry."

"How do you know?" asked Kagome.

Kikyou already had a good idea how Sango knew.

"He had black hair.  Papa said he was the only one who had that color remember.  The other two have hair of a silver-whitish shade."

Kikyou and Kagome exchanged looks; one worried, the other calm.  They knew what that meant.

"Well, since we've decided to make them wait... lets go see if we can find Dygee, Kirara and Mala," Kagome suggested as a way to pass the time.

They all agreed and headed in the opposite direction that Toutousai had gone in.

"I must return to the library for my shoes, before we join Papa and the rest."

Sango and Kagome looked down at Kikyou's feet clad only in her stockings and immediately busted out laughing.  The last time they'd ever seen their sister walk around without shoes she was eight years old.

"Wow, that guy must have really done a number on you Ki!" said Sango in amazement.  Using the nickname for her sister that only her and Kagome could get away with.

Kikyou arched an eyebrow at her sisters as she walked beside them; never once cracking a smile.

**_Lord Onigumo's Office**_

Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha and Mirouku entered the open office in a line.  They took up their spots once more behind the chair their father was lounging in.

Onigumo watched the boys return and wished his own daughters would be so prompt.  He stared at the oldest boy as he took in his attire.  He was wearing an all white, pristine suit, double breasted with pleated pants.  The jacket fit his wide shoulders perfectly as it tapered down to his waist and just pass.  Onigumo had to admit the younger man looked good in white.  Not many men could wear that much white and not look pale, but he carried it off well.  Actually, all of the boys looked nice.  The middle son wore a similar suit in a dark red color, like rust, and the last son wore a deep purple a couple of shades darker then his eyes.  They all had a strong build and were thin.  They made an impressive picture.  _'Almost as impressive as his girls did...or would when they decided to show up!'_ he thought in disgust.  He knew his daughters were deliberately being late.

Onigumo leaned his head back and stared up at his ceiling and prayed to Kami for patience... patience to keep from killing his daughters when they arrived.

"Higurashi."

Onigumo lowered his eyes to the Taiyoukai and arched a brow in question.

"Are they coming?  Any time today?"

"Of course they are," he sighed as he leaned back again and returned his gaze to the ceiling.  "The question is _when_ today are they coming?"

"Can you not call to them?"

"I have done that already Masaharu," he said annoyedly.  Like he didn't think of that already.  "They are blocking me."

"They can do this?" asked InuTaisho in astonishment.

_'Kagome could,'_ he thought sourly, but did not say it aloud.  He figured he might as well let him believe all his daughters could, since the other two were ignoring him completely.

"Yes."

Just then Onigumo became aware of an incessant taping and turned in the direction of the infernal noise.  His eyes fell on the magistrate's fingers... they were taping against the edge of his desk.   Onigumo felt a tick start in the back of his right eye so he shut his eyes and counted to ten before he made the mistake of separating the magistrate's hand from its arm.

"Juno."

"Yes, my lord."

"Stop that taping.  _Please."_

"Ah," the magistrate looked down at his hand and removed it from the beautiful mahogany desk nervously.  He had no idea he was taping, but he saw the look in Higurashi's eyes and decided not to press his luck.  "My apologies, my lord."

Onigumo nodded and leaned his head back once more.  He concentrated on controlling his temper.

The magistrate had returned to wait for the brides and grooms to make their appearance so they could sign the necessary papers and then he could go home.  The men had shown up over an hour ago.... it was the brides he was waiting on.  He was starting to wonder if they were even going to show up.

He noticed that the 'husbands had long since given up their spots behind their father and were now leaned against the far wall as they waited.  The oldest son had his hands shoved in his pockets and his right leg bent at the knee with the foot resting against the wall he was leaning on.  His chin was resting on his chest with the long tail of his hair pulled over his shoulder.  His eyes were closed.  The second son was beside him, but he was sitting on the floor with his back to the wall; arms and legs folded separately in Indian fashion.  His hair was flowing free down his back.  His eyes were closed as well, but Juno did not think he was sleeping either... just merely waiting like the rest of them.  Beside him was the youngest lord, who looked exactly like his father, was also leaned against the wall his arms folded across his chest with his feet crossed at the ankles.  His head was also bowed and his eyes were closed.

Juno couldn't help noticing the family resemblance in their stance and bearing.  He had a feeling the sons had more in common then they thought.  He leaned back in his seat and folded his hands in his lap this time as he waited.  He fought another sigh of impatience.

They all felt a moment of hope when Toutousai entered the room, but it deflated quickly when they realized that he was, indeed, alone.

Toutousai moved to sit mid-air beside Lord InuTaisho.  He figured that was the best spot in the room where he would miss none of the fireworks.

**_Another hour later**_

When they arrived at their father's office the girls came to a screeching halt just inside the doorway.  All three pair of eyes fell on the youkai dressed all in white leaning against the wall with one leg bent at the knee and the foot resting on the wall behind him.

When the youkai in question lifted his head at their arrival they all sucked in their breaths audibly... for different reasons.

'Oh wow!  He's hot!'

'Argh!!'

'Oh, thank Kami!'

They all had a different thought at once.  Sango couldn't believe how beautiful the oldest son was as her eyes widened in surprise.  Kagome counted to ten and took a deep breath to control her anger.  Kikyou was just happy to see that Inuyasha was NOT the one rumored about.  _'**NOW,** the rumors make sense.   This one is beautiful.'_

Kagome made the link between her and her sisters for the second time that day.  _"So, is that all of them?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Yep!"_

_"Hn.  Which one am I marrying Sango?"_

Sango grew uneasy.

_"Ah..."_

Kagome couldn't believe her sister still wasn't telling her!.  _"I know Papa mad his decision already!"_

_"He did."_  Kikyou's voice chimed in.  Though you couldn't tell by looking at her; she was getting a kick out of the growing argument going on in her head.

Sango gave her sister a good glare for butting in.  'Shimatta!  If all she was going to do was state the obvious, she could've shut up!'

_"I heard that."_

_"Good."_  Actually Sango had forgot for a moment about the link, but she patted herself on the back for covering it up with a quick come back... then she remembered _exactly_ what her sister's power was.  'The bitch probably sensed my surprise.'

_"I did."_

_"Argh!  Dammit!  Kagome!!"_

_"Serves you right for not telling me!"_

_"Kagome..."_

_"Sango."_

Kagome glared at her sister.  All she wanted was to be sure she wasn't marrying **him.**  Was that too much to ask for?! 

_"Sango if you don't tell me, I swear on your grave I'-"_

_"I don't have a grave,"_ she cut in.

Kagome's eyes narrowed as her irritation grew.  _"Not yet."_

*~~*

Duchess:  "Walked right into that one didn't she?!"  ::giggles::

Fang:  "DUCHESS!!"

Duchess:  "Alright, sheesh!"

*~~*

_"Threaten my life all you like little sister, but--"_

_"Sango... please?"_ she interrupted with a plea.

Sango sighed.  She knew Kagome wasn't going to like her answer.  That's why she didn't want to be the one to tell her.  She thought their father should be the one to deal with Kagome's anger.

_"Alright..." _Sango sighed and turned her gaze to the youkai leaning against the wall once more.  _"Is he the one you met in the garden?"_  She knew he was.

_"Yes."_  Kagome frowned at the reminder.

Sango turned back to look at her sisters, first Kagome, then Kikyou, then back to Kagome.

_"Well then... it seems we have each met our future husbands."_

_"You mean... that we each...**separately**... met our intendeds?  Inadvertently?!?"_

_"So, we've each had a conversation with the one father chose for us," _said Kikyou quietly, then she noticed the sour look on Kagome's face.  _"Well two of us had a conversation."_

Kagome turned to look at Sesshoumaru and since he was in the process of watching her; there eyes met and locked.  She saw his eyes flash with an emotion she couldn't identify and felt a shiver go down her spine.  She had no idea what the shiver was about, but she knew it wasn't the fingers of fear traveling her spine... it was something she never felt before.

"Oh, hell no!" she whispered aloud; cutting the connection between her and her sisters in the process.  Kagome searched the room for her father until she found him sitting behind his desk.  She started walking in his direction; intent on one thing.

Kikyou and Sango exchanged knowing looks as they watched their younger sister bear down on their father.

Everyone watched the young beauty stalk, gracefully over to her father.

Kagome stopped and gave a small nod and a curtsy in greeting to the Taiyoukai sitting in the chair opposite her father's desk before she stalked passed him.  Her manners were too deeply engrained for her to be disrespectful to the unknown Taiyoukai.

"PAPA!" she yelled as she stopped at his desk and slammed her hands down on its surface.  "I AM NOT MARRYING HIM!"

Onigumo was taken aback by his daughter's unexpected outburst.  He sat silently for a moment as he processed what she said.  _'Him?'_

"Him?"

"Yes, _him!"_ she emphasized as she lifted her left arm out at her side and pointed at Sesshoumaru.  "**Choose another!!**"

_'How the hell did she know already?' _he wondered to himself.  When Kagome shifted her weight and brought he arm down to reast her fist on the curve of her hip, Onigumo caught sight of his oldest daughter.  _"Ahh, my Sango...'  _He should have guessed.  Which meant they _all_ knew.  He knew Sango couldn't see her own future, but knowing who her other two sisters were marrying left nothing to doubt.  It was just a matter of deduction; who was left.  He looked back at the young woman glaring down on him and gracefully stood up.  It was an intimidation method.

Kagome's head tilted back to follow her father's movement.

"I have made my decision Kagome."

"Then pick again," she suggested through gritted teeth.

"No."

"Yes."

"NO!"

**"YES!"**

Onigumo's eyes opened wide in disbelief at his daughter's audacity before narrowing as his annoyance changed to anger.  "You _dare_ defy me?  In front of _guest_ as well?"

Kikyou and Sango had watched the interaction between Kagome and their father and began to worry.  They'd never seen that look in his eyes... at least not directed at one of them.

Kagome saw the red glow in her father's eyes and immediately recognized her mistake.  She could see how her father had earned the name "Naraku" in battle.

"No Papa," she said in a dejected voice as she bowed her head in apology.  "Forgive me."

Onigumo nodded his head; his pride and anger appeased.  "Now why are you so upset?"

_'Upset?  He called this upset?' _she thought sarcastically as she lifted her head up.  You could still see her anger in her eyes.

"Did you have to choose _him_ for me, Papa?"

Kagome threw her hand back up and pointed her finger once more at Sesshoumaru; who was still leaning in the same spot.  In her anger, Kagome's powers had risen to the surface, so when she stuck her finger out a bright pink beam of pure power shot out; straight in his direction.

Not expecting the attack and not sensing the power coming at him, Sesshoumaru jumped out of the way just in time.  He turned his head swiftly to look at the spot where he just stood.  Sesshoumaru saw a tiny smoking hole in the wall directly where his back had just been and frowned.  _'That would have been painful.  Interesting.'_  Not deadly for he noticed the hole was not near his heart; yet memorable.  _'She is powerful.  She could be useful,'_ he thought as he turned his gaze to the woman who nearly caused him injury and glared at her.  The woman he was to marry.  He stiffened when he sensed the power within her.  He could sense her youkai blood now...but there was more.  _'She's a miko.'_

InuTaisho watched the show of power with hidden approval.  He liked the girl's fire.  Then his eyes began to glow as his body stiffened when he recognized the aura coming from the girl.  His eyes widened as he focused on the girl's father.  _'He would dare try to trick **me**?!'_

"KAGOME!!"

"HIGURASHI!!"

Both Taiyoukais yelled in unison.  Onigumo's eyes snapped up and away from his daughter to look at Masaharu.

"I'm sorry Papa.  I did not mean to do that."  Kagome said, but she fell quiet when she realized her words were falling on deaf ears.

Actually another person who'd move to stand behind her had heard Kagome loud and clear.

"What Masaharu?"

"You would dare bring a miko into my family?"

Onigumo's eyebrows arched at that.  He could not believe the Taiyoukai was worried about his Kagome.  His daughter would not purify without reason.  She was also a youkai.

"What are you worried about Masaharu?  My daughter will not purify your son.  Not without sufficient cause!"

"And what is considered _sufficient cause_?  Him making her angry?  Or perhaps, ignoring her?"

Kagome couldn't believe he would accuse her of being so petty.  Granted he didn't know her, but that gave him no reason to insult her intelligence.  She opened her mouth to speak only to be cut off by her father's yell.

"MY DAUGHTER IS NOT SO WEAK AS TO FIND YOUR SON NOT GIVING HER ANY ATTENTION A PROBLEM!"

**"Oh, really?"**  InuTaisho knew that what the other man said was true; he could see it in the girl's eyes.  All of theirs; for he saw each daughter's eyes had lit with the light of battle.

"OBVIOUSLY!  Did you not hear a word she screamed?  She apparently has had a taste of your son and doesn't find him to her liking."  Onigumo went still when he finished that retort aloud.  _'Why, was his daughter so against her marrying that son?'_

Onigumo was finally starting to see a problem he'd missed.  His daughter wasn't protesting against marrying, she was protesting marrying _him._  Why?

"Kagome?" he looked down on his daughter as confusion took the place of his anger.  "Why are you so against marrying this man and not the rest?  Do you know him?"

Kagome turned to look at the son her father had indicated and was momentarily shocked speechless.  He was standing directly behind her... she'd never seen him move.

Sesshoumaru had instinctively moved to stand closer to the woman who was dead set against marrying him.  Even though his pride was hurt at her actions, he did not like her standing directly between the two powerful Lords.  Not that he imagined her father would hurt her.  He just had a need to protect her just in case, he couldn't explain it... and he didn't like it.  He frowned down at her startled look.

Kagome's mind started working again the moment she saw his frown and turned back to her father.

"Because he's an arrogant asshole and is emotionally constipated!  Not to mention he irritates the hell out of me!"

"Kagome!!"

Kagome stiffened at the sound of her name.  She knew that voice...oh, too well.

Everyone turned at the sound of the new voice that came from the open doorway.

Kikyou and Sango immediately moved out of their mother's way to let her pass.

InuTaisho watched the red headed beauty as she came closer.  She was wearing a dark green gown made of velvet with a straight bodice, beautiful designs stitched with gold threads across it and down the sleeves that were tapered to her arms.  The skirt of the dress was full and fell to her feet where she wore a pair of velvet shoes in the same color of the dress.  She looked stunning.  Her stomach was still too flat to show the child she was carrying.

Atsuki walked over to her youngest daughter and stared at her quietly.

"Hello Mama."

Sesshoumaru stared at the beauty in front of his intended and sighed.  Now he knew where Kagome got her temper... and her eyes he thought as he watched the older women's eyes glow slightly with a bright white light.

"Hmm.  Kagome you will apologize to this young man for what you have said... and I don't want to hear you speak to your father in such away again."

"But, Mama..."

"No 'buts' young lady.  You do not disrespect your father.  He is only doing what he believes is right."  She looked up to catch her husband's eyes and continued, "If it comes back to bite him in the ass that's his problem."  She looked back at her daughter, "As for the young man behind you; that was just plain rude."

"It's not like it wasn't true," Kagome complained.

"And what makes what you think true?" she narrowed her eyes at her daughter.

Kagome huffed as she knew her mother was right.  She still didn't want to marry him though.  She turned to look up at Sesshoumaru then.

"I apologize for what I said."

Sesshoumaru arched a brow.  He was surprised to see her give in to her mother so quickly.  He wondered if the older woman had a worse temper then his mother.

"See, Mama!  I told you!"

Atsuki hid her grin from her daughter as she turned to look at her other two.  She had a feeling that perhaps her husband had choose right where it came to Kagome.  Maybe her daughter would break the ice around the young man's heart.  If anyone could do it, her Kagome could.  She wondered if her husband recognized this.

"Kikyou trade with me!" Kagome called out from behind her mother's back.

Kikyou heard her sister's plea and looked at the beautiful man standing behind Kagome.  She could feel his anger as well as his annoyance.  She could also feel another underlying feeling that was feeding the other two.  She thought it might be hurt, but she wasn't sure because she couldn't use her powers fully while everyone was around.  Kikyou had already decided she wasn't going to switch with her sister when she saw her mother's disapproving look.  _'Like I need her to give me that look.  There's no way I'm marrying him.  I don't care how cute he is.'_

"No, Kagome."

Kagome looked to Sango, but she was already shaking her head at her.

"Kagome you act like they're a piece of clothing...they're not.  Papa has decided...not to mention Mama's giving me that look."

"You're right Sango," she smiled sarcastically.  "They're not clothing.  We actually have a say in that.

Kagome jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder then she almost sighed when she heard his silky voice near her ear.  She shivered instead.

Sesshoumaru had leaned down close to the young woman's ear as he placed his hand on her shoulder.  He felt her slight tremble and hid his smile.  _'So, she is not as immune as she pretends.'_

"What's done is done Higurashi."

"My name is Kagome.  KA-GO-ME!  Got it!?"

He frowned at her tone of voice.  No one gave him orders, but he refrained from correcting her right then.  There would be plenty of time for that when he married her.

Atsuki walked over to her husband, but stopped on the way to greet the other Taiyoukai in the room.  Much like her daughter had done before her.

"Lord InuTaisho," she nodded and gave a small curtsy, "interesting circumstances that bring you here, hm?"

"Lady Atsuki," InuTaisho inclined his head.  "Interesting?  That is one way of putting it."

She smiled knowingly before moving to stand by her husband's side behind the desk.

"Now, shall we get this over with gentlemen?" she asked though everyone understood it was not a question.

"Sango, Kikyou and Kagome come here."  When the three girls were standing in front of the desk she continued, "I assume you three have _guessed_ which son you will be marrying."

They all nodded in agreement.  Not that it was necessary.

"Fine.  Then lets finish this.  It is getting late."  She picked up the three papers lying on the desk in front of her husband and glanced over them.  She read all that it said about the dowries as well as the clause about the title to the Southern Lands.  She did not like it, but she would not show her disapproval in front of guest.  She'd lie into her husband when they were alone.  She nodded slightly then faced her daughters once more.  She gave them a reassuring smile before turning her gaze to the three younger males in the room.

"Which one of you is Mirouku?"  She watched the man with black hair and purple eyes push away from the wall and come forward.

"That is I, my lady."

She indicated with a nod of her head for him to stand beside Sango.

"And Inuyasha?"  Since she knew which one was the heir, she'd already figured out who Inuyasha was.  Atsuki watched him get gracefully to his feet and then indicated he stand between Kikyou and Kagome.

"And that would leave you, Sesshoumaru."

Atsuki nodded to the man who'd been standing behind her youngest daughter a few moments ago; silently waiting for him to step forward between Kagome and Sango.  He was the only man she'd ever seen come close to the beauty of her husband.  As the couples stood next to each other she took a moment to take a good look at them._  'They really do look good together.'_

"Now, Sango you and Mirouku sign this one." She placed a small pack of papers in front of the couple.  "Kagome, you and Sesshoumaru this one," she said as she placed a similar pack of papers in front of them.

"But Mama-"

"Uh-uh, no.  Sign," she cut her daughter off before she could go any further.  She had a feeling about them two, but she was not going to share that with her daughter... not yet.  Right now, her hormones were driving her crazy and she didn't know how much longer she could stand there smiling and pretending to be happy.

"And Kikyou, you and Inuyasha," she set down a third set of papers.  "This one."

Onigumo watched on in amazement.  In a matter of ten minutes his wife had defused two budding arguments, stopped a rebellion by his baby, and got the three couples to sign their contracts.  _'I knew there was a reason I married her!'_

When they finished signing she immediately gathered up the signed papers and handed them off to the magistrate.

"I want copies of those tomorrow, sir."

"Tomorrow?" he squeaked; the Lady scared him the way she just came in and started taking over.  But, there was no way he could have copies by tomorrow!  He'd have to stay up all night coping them!

"Tomorrow, " she smiled yet her eyes remained unwavering on his.  She wanted him to know she was not having any excuses.  She wanted those copies in her hands _tomorrow._  "Thank you Juno.  I appreciate your cooperation."

Atsuki helped the man to his feet and very kindly dismissed him from the room.  _'No more outsiders.'_

Atsuki turned her attention back to the remaining occupants in the room, all soon to be family, and let them see her anger.  Her eyes lit up with an intense blue fire.

"Now!  Is all the theatrics over with?" she asked in a deceptively quiet voice.

Onigumo wasn't fooled for a moment.  His wife was pissed and he knew it.

Kagome, Kikyou and Sango weren't buying the voice either.  They'd seen that fire in their mother's eyes before.  It wasn't a good sign.  Unbeknownst to themselves they each grabbed their respective husband's hand and took a step back from their mother's anger.

Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, and Mirouku were startled at the unexpected touch, but complied with the unspoken warning and also took a step back away from the angry female in front of them.

Atsuki took in everyone's face and when no one dare speak up she continued.  _'Good'_, she was kind of hoping at least _one_ of them would say something.  She had a lot of pint up anger just dying to be let lose.

"Well then Masaharu you and your sons will be staying here tonight.  You can leave in the morning.  Since this little _meeting_ was longer then anticipated," she eyed her daughters.  She'd get them later, as well, for the stunt they pulled she thought as she continued, " the sun has gone down and I will not have you traveling at night.  And before you decide to disagree with me," she let the fire in her eyes grow to an alarming height, "I'd think really, _really _hardabout that."

She then moved from behind the desk and headed towards the open door to leave.  When she reached the door she turned to capture the eyes of her three daughters.

"Girls.  Rai is waiting in the hall to let you know which rooms the men will be staying in.  Please be good and show them to their rooms."

"Mama, we have servants who do that," said Sango bravely.

"Yes, but I want you three to do it.  After all you wouldn't have to if you'd made yourselves available sooner."

With those last words she turned and quit the room.

Sesshoumaru, Mirouku and Inuyasha were hiding their smirks from the girls.  They watched the girls sigh as their own plan had come back to haunt them... and their mother was the one doing the haunting.  They all just decided that they liked the current Lady of the Southern Lands.

The sisters bade their father a goodnight then went to get the directions from Rai.  When that was done they showed the Masaharus to their rooms before they went to find their own beds.  For once neither one of them wanted to stop in their garden and relax before going to bed.  They gathered their cats and hurried to their beds.


	5. Thirteen Days and a Wedding to Remember ...

Hello All.  I apologize for the LOOOONNG wait.  So here is a nice long chapter in apology as well...  Enjoy!!

The Feud:  A Marriage Made in Heaven.

Chapter 5:  Thirteen Days And A Wedding to Remember... _or Forget?_

Onigumo stood staring out the large window in the middle of the left hand wall in the library.  He glanced out the corner of his eye at the ornate grandfather clock standing in the corner and noted the time.  It was just passed nine in the morning.  He'd just seen his 'guest' out an hour ago after having a very... uneventful night.  So, it was no surprise he was in a piss poor mood.

He'd slept--for the two hours he'd actually slept--in one of the stiff and hard beds in one of the many guest rooms.  Thinking about that Onigumo made a mental note to have the mattresses replaced in all the guest rooms.  He wondered how anyone could get any rest in those beds.

Onigumo sighed heavily as he tilted his head back to stare at the bright sun drenched sky and thought about _why_ he had ended up sleeping in a guest room instead of in his own bed beside his wife.  His wife.  _She_ was the reason he had 'slept' in a bed that was not his own.

He sighed again as he thought back to the night before... or considering the late hour, the early morning.

_~*~Flashback~*~_

Onigumo walked into his room for the night after putting Lord Masaharu in his servant Rai's capable hands.  He immediately came to a halt after shutting the bedroom door behind him when he noticed that the large four-poster bed he shared with his wife was empty.  He quickly took stock of the room as he turned his head from side to side searching out his wife's presence.

He turned to his right and slightly behind himself when he heard a creak coming from that direction.  Onigumo watched silently as his wife emerged from the bathroom.  He noted that her waist length, fire red hair was hanging loose down her back and that she was already dressed for bed.  _Very _dressed for bed, he noted as he took in the black satin and lace nightdress and robe she wore.  It was his favorite.  He loved the way it lightly skimmed her generous curves without being clingy, but his favorite part about the sleepwear was the back.  His mouth watered at the thought of the nightdress's back... or lack there of.  He could picture the daringly low back that stopped _just _above her behind.  He could also picture the tantalizing small piece of skin that would be seen in the tiny space that was left where her hair ended and the curve of the black satin finally began.

Onigumo could picture that creamy piece of flesh so clearly in his mind... which is what he had to do, since his wife was facing him.  He slowly lifted his eyes from his wife's lower abdomen; which was opposite of the spot on his wife's lower back that he was daydreaming about.  Onigumo locked eyes with hers and sighed inwardly.  His wife was angry.

He could see the flash of blue fire in her eyes as it fault with the light of battle he could also see there.  His wife was out for blood... _his._  

Onigumo had known she was angry, but he'd thought that since she'd put on the black nightdress, the one she _knew_ was his favorite, that perhaps she wasn't _too _angry after all.

Now, he could see how foolish that thought was.  Onigumo squared his shoulders for the upcoming battle.  He had no doubt as to who would win, though.

Atsuki stared at her husband as he'd stared at the lower half of her body.  She knew exactly what he was thinking of, after all, like she'd once thought before, you did not live and love someone as long as they had without learning each other's ways.  She'd deliberately chosen to wear this particular outfit to bed tonight.  She wanted her husband to be absolutely certain of what he would _not_ be partaking of tonight.

"Can I help you?  Are you lost?" she asked softly, reigning in her temper for the moment.

_'Lost?  What the hell was she talking about?'_ thought Onigumo dumbly, as he eyed his wife.  He looked around surreptitiously, he was sure he was in his own bedroom, but couldn't help making sure.

"Why would I be lost in my own home?  My own bedroom?" he asked slowly.

"Not tonight."

"Excuse me?" his temper began to flare at those words.  He'd be damned if she'd kick him from _his _home!  "I don't know what you think you are getting at, but this house is most definitely-"

"Yours," she cut him off smoothly as the fire in her eyes grew, "this I know, but _this _room will _not _beaccommodating _you_ tonight."

"What?" he breathed quietly.

"I do not believe I stuttered or spoke in a language unknown to you," she replied as she took another step closer.  "Did you plan to sleep in here tonight?"

"OF COURSE I PLANNED TO SLEEP HERE.  LAST I CHECKED IT WAS STILL _MY_ BEDROOM!" Onigumo roared, unable to hold his temper when faced with such a ridiculous question, not to mention the deceptively innocent tone of her voice.

"Really?  Well, I believe you should have taken that into consideration when you _agreed_ and _signed_ that... that_ appalling _contract."

"Contract?  Wha-"

'YOU SIGNED AWAY OUR TITLE TO _HIM_!!  WHAT THE HELL CONTRACT DO YOU THINK I'M TALKING ABOUT!?"

_'Oh.'_  He'd known she wouldn't like that little piece of 'dowry', but what else could he give?  The Emperor and law specifically states that a dowry must be given with a daughter upon her marriage and that said dowry must reflect not only the wealth of the brides family, but also the value of the daughter.  And since he'd already give a_ very _generous dowry with his first two girls, he had to give something more with Kagome, after all she wasn't _only _marrying the heir, to the Western Lands, she would one day be _Lady_ of the Western Lands.  His gift had to equal that, especially since Masaharu could make it that his daughter be Lady in name only.  A title with no power; that would make his daughter a laughing stock and _he _damn sure wasn't letting that happen.  Besides, he figured he could do much worse then Masaharu's eldest son as the next Lord of the Southern Lands... _much_ worse.

Onigumo opened his mouth to explain all this to his wife, but was cut off once more.

**"HOW _COULD _YOU, NARAKU!?  WHY DIDN'T YOU AT LEAST SPEAK TO ME ABOUT THIS BEFORE GOING AND DOING IT?  DIDN'T YOU THINK I'D WANT TO KNOW THAT YOU WAS PUTTING THE FUTURE OF OUR LANDS ON THE OUTCOME OF MY CHILD'S GENDER!?  THAT YOU WERE PUTTING IT ON SOMETHING THAT NEITHER YOU OR I HAVE ANY CONTROL** **OVER!?  DIDN'T YOU!?"**

Onigumo's ears twitched at the loudness of her voice; which had escalated.  He knew she had a valid point and that she was right, but he knew she'd never go along with it and he didn't want to argue in front of the Masaharus.

He also knew that she was more then angry, she was _pissed._  His wife only called him 'Naraku' at such a time.  Onigumo knew she didn't care for the name and only uttered it in the same voice she would say 'idiot' or 'stupid' or any other derogatory name like them.

"Atsuki..."

"NO, DON'T 'ATSUKI' ME!  ANSWER ME!" she waited a heartbeat before continuing, "SO, WHAT, IF OUR CHILD SHOULD _HAPPEN_ TO BE A _GIRL_ OUR TITLE OF LORD AND LADY OF THE SOUTHERN LANDS WOULD GO TO MASAHARU SESSHOUMARU?  IS THAT WHAT YOU DID?!" she asked incredulously; her voicing echoing her shock and disbelief.

"Well, basically yes, but he will have to stay married to Kagome, so the title and lands will stay in the family."

He watched her eyes glow with the hot, white light of her ki.

"Oh.  So you _also_ bought him into keeping your daughter!  Bribery.  As if, Kagome couldn't keep him herself!  I'll have you know, I have a feeling about those two... I don't think they are going to have as much trouble as you imagine... well, actually maybe more, but the outcome will be better then you or I can ever imagine or hope for.  You just wait, but thats neither here nor there.  What I'd like to know is how could you agree to such a proposal?  What were you thinking?!"

Onigumo wanted to ask her what she meant by that comment about her having a 'feeling', but decided now wouldn't be a good time.  So, he filed it away in his brain to bring up at a later date when she was more open to explaining herself.

Her voice had come down from its yelling pitch, but Onigumo could still see the flames leaping to new heights in her eyes.  He knew she was far from being calm.

"Honey, it only becomes so, if you bare a girl.  You could easily bare me a son and then none of this will matter."

"Right.  And did the fact that I've had, oh, _zero_ sons and_ three_ daughters, play into your little agreement?" she asked heatedly  "Because I can see how if you did, that the odds are SO ON YOUR SIDE!"  She finished in a near shout.

Contrary to what it may seem and what his wife thought, Onigumo had taken into account that his wife had only give him daughters, but in his defense he'd figured that that only meant that they were due for some sons... right?

Quietly he shared his reasoning with her, not the part about being due for a son, just the part of why he agreed and how he couldn't let his baby be laughed at.  Onigumo watched, as he fell silent, the fire in his wife's eye simmer down a little.  He could see that she at least _understood_ why he did what he did... even if she still didn't agree.  He could see that she thought that there had to be another solution.  He wasn't denying the possibility that there may have been another way to handle situation, he was just saying that _he_ couldn't think of any other possibility.

Atsuki stared at her husband with a thoughtful look invading the fire in her blue gaze.  She couldn't say she didn't understand why he'd come to the conclusion he'd come to, but she didn't have to agree with it.  She had a very bad feeling about this... she didn't know why, but she did.

"You better pray your daughter doesn't decide to read her marriage contract," she sighed with a crease on her brow, "or you're going to have to do more then just explain yourself.  You're going to have to deal with your daughter's temper, which will be alot worse then usual because not only will she be hurt, she's going to feel betrayed."

Onigumo knew all that quite well, but to hear it said out loud sent a painful twinge through his heart.  He walked over to the window to stare out at the dark night

"Could we go to bed now?  I'd really like to end this day."

Atsuki heard the silent plea in the soft steel of her husband's voice, though she couldn't see his face since his back was facing her.  While she would like nothing more than to be in her husband's arms, she was still angry with him.  While she understood, begrudgingly, his reasons that still didn't explain why he didn't tell her about it first.

She understood his need to end this day, but she knew that everything that had transpired on this day would not end with the inevitable dawn... no, too many things had been set into motion and she had no doubt that much of it would come back to bite her unsuspecting husband on his proverbial ass.  Starting with her and now.

"You can go where ever you like, but I will _not _be sharing _that_ bed with you," he turned to face her and noted the fire, though smaller, was still very much in her eyes.  "And depending on how I feel tomorrow, will decide on where I spend the following night."

Onigumo watched her hold his gaze for a minute before she quietly turned away from him and moved to her side of the large bed and proceeded to climb in.  He wanted to fight with her, it was taking all his will power to hold on to his own anger, but he knew she was in no condition for the full brunt of his anger even if she wasn't showing yet.

He waited as she settled herself against her pillow before silently making his way to the door he'd just come in minutes before.

"Goodnight."

He froze at the door before slowly turning to face the lovely woman lying in the plush bed alone.  Crimson locked onto indigo and held.  He knew if he pushed he could sleep in his own bed tonight, but she would only resent him in the morning and he'd rather deal with her anger then her resentment and disappointment.

"Goodnight," he nodded quietly then turned swiftly on his heels and left the room.  Closing the door quietly behind him.

_~*~End Flashback~*~_

For two hours he'd slept in a room down the hall from his wife.  He'd ended up getting up when he'd lain awake for almost three quarters of an hour and finally had to accept that he was not getting anymore sleep that night.  So, by the time he exchanged fake pleasantries with Lord Masaharu and his sons and seen them out, he'd been up for two hours, worked out in his private dojo, and had had himself a relaxing shower.  Which had made it possible to be civil long enough to see his reluctant 'family' off.

The females, both wife and daughters, had still been asleep.

So, now, an hour after he'd seen his reluctant guests out he stood before the window watching nothing and seeing everything.  He thought about the men who would be his family in little over a week from now... who in fact already was family if one wanted to be technical about it, and heaved a huge sigh wrought with many emotions.

It was not lost on him what all this that the Emperor had started could very well mean.  That the combining of these two families could very well be the beginning or the end of their own destruction... and the answer to it all lied in the hands and _hearts_ of their offspring... and of course, a truth, that perhaps only the past could reveal.

~*~

It was mid-morning and the entire castle was awake and had been for some time.  No one had ventured into the library though.  He guessed that his family was avoiding him just as much as he was avoiding them.  Perhaps they knew that they would not be welcome at the moment?  Whatever the reason, he was thankful for the solitude.

Onigumo had heard and listened when his wife had lit into their three daughters for the stunt they had pulled the night before, and though it was wrong of him to do so, he was happy to see that he was not the only one to incur his wife's anger.

He moved to sit down behind the large cherry wood desk that sat against the wall to the right of the wall of windows.  He leaned back in the comfortable leather chair; though the seat was not as comfortable as the plush chairs in front of the fireplace because it was not meant to have someone fall asleep in it; it was still pretty comfortable.  He leaned his head back to rest against the top of the chair and shut his eyes.  He had no idea how to deal with his wife, for he knew she had a very valid point.  He _was_ taking a huge risk with the gamble he was making, but contrary to what his wife might think and believe he also saw the potential in the match between his youngest daughter and the heir of the Western Lands.  But, he also recognized that that potential could go either way.  They could turn out to be the best match this country had ever seen or... the worse.

It was that fifty-fifty chance that worried him.  Though his daughters...passionate display of emotions last night did give him cause to be hopeful.  His daughter was feeling some strong emotions toward the inu-youkai heir, and though those emotions were not love (not that he expected it to be), they were still strong emotions.  Which meant that his baby girl was not indifferent... which would be far worse, because that would leave no hope in hell for the match to work.  His daughter was much too passionate of a woman; all his daughters were, for a match that she was indifferent about to work.  Even his Kikyo, who hid her emotions better then anyone he knew; except maybe Sesshoumaru Masaharu; would not last in a 'marriage of convenience', which would be the only alternative if these matches didn't work.

Onigumo knew very well why and understood why his middle child hid her emotions.  It was more like she locked them away... and he understood that too.  He couldn't blame her really; he doubted anyone who knew and understood just what kind of powers his daughter held would.  He knew it wasn't easy for her and many times he'd prayed to an unseen God to give him his daughter's burden, but he didn't know whether it was because he wasn't listening, or was ignoring, or just found his prayer wanting, God did not grant him his plea.  In that he understood that this was something his daughter had to learn to handle and carry in her own way.  He remembered the incident that made her build the walls inside herself to do that.  His mother Kaede had helped in that regard.

_He thought back to that event..._

Kikyou had been seven years old at the time.  Sango was eight and of course, Kagome was six.  She had just turned six actually and he knew though they had stuck together, that it was his youngest daughter's doing that he'd found them outside of the palace walls.

He'd found them near the banks of the Mysterious Waters.  The waterfall that fell into the river that held powers that even he did not dare to mess with; not without knowing what was held in those waters first.  He'd been out there because their nanny had discovered they were missing and his wife had suddenly had a feeling that they were scared.  She couldn't tell him more then that, in fact she couldn't even tell him how she knew that.  They had a feeling that it was from Kagome.  That his daughter was trying to call to them somehow, but since her powers were still so new to her she wasn't that good at it yet.

When he'd found them he'd been shocked and scared at what he'd seen.  It was the first time in many years that he'd felt true fear.  His daughters were all sitting together on the ground, one holding the other, except Kikyo.  She was lying down, back arched off the ground and screaming a scream of pure agony.  He remembered rushing over to her and placing his hand along her small, pale face.  For a moment she had stopped screaming, opened her eyes and looked at him.  He'd heard her voice whisper; "Papa help me", and his heart had cracked because he could see no injuries to cause her such pain.  And in that instant she'd started screaming again.

Even 'til this day Onigumo didn't remember picking his daughter up into his arms or how he'd gotten them all back to the castle so quickly.  He remembered that his mother was waiting for them and as soon as Kikyo had stop screaming in his arms, she'd taken his daughter to clean her up and get then all to bed.  His mother had come back to tell him what had happened as she believed it to be.

His mother had told him that with the powers that had grown inside Kikyo she was able to feel the feelings of the people in the village that surrounded the castle at the base of the mountain.  She'd explained to him that being outside of the wall had left her open to feel it all; everyone's pain, despair, joy, fear, happiness, excitement, anger, mistrust, jealousy.... everything, and all at once.  It turned out that her mind and body couldn't handle all that and when he'd come along and was feeling helpless and fear for his daughter that it had added to it, which had caused his daughter to scream the second time.

That was when his mother had decided to not only teach his daughters skills in combat, but also how to master their gifts.  And being a very powerful miko she had the ability to do so.  And with that said, she'd taught his daughter how to build a barrier within herself, not unlike the wall around the castle, to protect herself from everyone else.

That was the last day he'd seen his daughter spontaneously laugh or even smile again.

Onigumo leaned forward and rested his elbows on the large desktop as he rested his forhead in the palm of his hands.  He wondered if it would be easier to just declare war on the Emperor and refuse these marriages.

"Papa?"

Onigumo raised his head to stare into the bright cerulean eyes of his youngest daughter.  He'd never heard her come in.  He shouldn't be surprised; given the right amount of provocation his daughter would venture anywhere.

"What is it Kagome?" he answered wearily.

"Are you alright, Papa?"

Onigumo stared back at her quietly and saw the concern in her eyes.  He figured he must look a sight, but he didn't much care at the moment.

"I'm fine Kagome.  Why don't you go and help your mother with the preparations for the wedding.  It is only a little over a week away."

"I know Papa and I will.  I just... I... needed to speak to you about something first, if thats alright?"

He nodded reluctantly.  He couldn't send her away.

"Sure."

Onigumo stood up and lead her over to the large plush chairs sitting before the hearth and waited for her to seat herself in one before taking his own seat.

"What would you like to talk about?'

Kagome stared straight ahead into the flames of the fire as she answered.  Not wanting to see her father's look when she did.

"Masaharu."

~*~

~_Thirteen days later: The Wedding Reception~_

All three sisters stood quietly beside each other on the balcony overlooking the Formal Garden at the back of the castle.  They could hear the music and laughter from the after wedding festivities going on behind them.  Between their family, the Masaharu family, and a few hundred of each of their closes friends there was well over eight hundred guests in the large ballroom.  The noise they made was deafening.  Which is what brought them out on the balcony.

They were all superbly gowned.  Sango was still in her wedding dress of a pearl white made of satin and lace with real oyster pearls sown into the design of the bodice.  Kagome wore a dark blue gown made of velvet and satin, while Kikyo wore a dark brown gown made of a shiny material that was new from Spain and a sheer, see through cloth.

As the late afternoon sky began to darken into evening they watched the huge hedge maze in the distance slowly fade from sight.

Sango sighed quietly to herself as she stood between Kagome and Kikyo.  Four hours.  She'd been married for four hours now, and all she could think is that she was happy the wedding was over.  She couldn't believe how much trouble and problems could be had from trying to get a simple little wedding done.  It amazed her at how much had gone wrong that afternoon.  Basically, what _could_ go wrong... _did!_  She was surprised she was even married at all, because by the time they were at the point to say vows the only promise she was feeling like making was the promise that she would make him suffer _before _she killed him.  Him being Mirouku... her _husband._

"Are they still watching us?" she asked quietly.

Though she didn't look she could see out the corner of her eye as Kagome swiveled her head around to look over her shoulder.  Through the closed glass doors of the balcony they had an uninterrupted view of the head table where three gentlemen sat.  For the last hour they'd each taken turns to looking and checking if said gentlemen were still sitting side by side with their eyes trained on there three backs.   They'd stop trying to be surreptitious about it when the groom, who sat in the middle of the three gentlemen, gave Kikyo a slight nod and a wink in acknowledgment... it being her turn to look at the time.  She in turn, kept her face as calm and blank as usual and merely turned back around as she had whispered a quiet 'yes' in reply to an unasked question.

"They are," answered Kagome as she faced forward again.

"Amazing," she replied with a twist to her lips, "he hasn't found, oh I don't know... a chambermaid perhaps, to 'play' with."

Kagome gave an unladylike snort in reply as Kikyo arched a delicate eyebrow.

"Well I would imagine, after your display today he would be afraid to even _look_ at another woman," she smiled at the memory of the spectacle that took place today, "Especially with you being so close and all."

"No.  He was proud," spoke Kikyo quietly.

Both girls turned to look at the other girl.

"What?"

"He believed you were jealous," they could hear the soft amusement in her voice even though they could not see it on her face, "which you were and he was happy that you were jealous.  Or more accurately, _proud_ that you care enough to be."

"Of course I do.  I love the bloody pervert!"

"Yes I know," _but he does not, _she finished to herself.

"Aww Sango, that's wonderful!" exclaimed Kagome as she tossed an arm around her sister's waist in a happy embrace.

"Humph," was Sango's only reply to that.  She'd thought it was wonderful too, when she'd figured it out a couple of days ago, but after today the jury had to rethink the decision.

In truth, she'd been married for a little over two weeks... they all had.  Ever since the contracts had been signed by their Fathers, in fact.  They knew this because Kagome had found out from their father the day after they'd been signed.  The wedding ceremonies were just... dressing... something for the people to see and make romantic stories about and something more for their mothers to do.  Eye candy.

They were like a new book whose story was already written, but needed a cover.

In the days between the day of the contracts being signed and yesterday; the day before the wedding; Mirouku had courted her... and Sango had enjoyed every minute of it.  Well, once she'd gotten used to the idea.

The day Kagome had spoken with their father she'd been given a letter by Rai that was addressed to her from him.  In the letter Mirouku had told her what he'd planned to do and why.  For a while she hadn't believed it.  She didn't understand why he would want to do such a thing, but when the bouquet of lilies arrived she'd had no choice but to believe him.

Her sisters had thought it was very sweet and had secretly wondered if the other two brothers would do the same.  They didn't... or hadn't yet.

Mirouku had taken to visiting her everyday for the first week and taking her places like museums and being her escort to balls that their parents had accepted invitations to.

It had been lovely and wonderful and she'd enjoyed every minute of it... and whenever she'd caught him flirting or God forbid... _groping_ another woman she'd quietly knock him upside the head and gone on about her business.  She was sorry to say, but sometimes she'd even enjoyed those times too

He'd made her feel special and alive... and the couple of times he'd stolen a kiss from her, she had to admit that she'd very much enjoyed _that _too.  So, when the next week came about and he'd taken her to the Masaharu estate to meet his mother and see his home she was already counting herself lucky to have been chosen for him and knowing this was how she felt, she wasn't very surprised when she'd realized she was in love with _and _loved the little pervert very much.

Even though he'd hit on everything in a dress, including her sisters, she'd still enjoyed his company.  She'd even liked being angry with him... which was sad to say but... often.

She'd decided that it was just him getting it out of his system before they were married (because that was what he'd told her) she'd decided to not get _too_ upset.  After all, he hadn't asked for this marriage anymore then she had.  Because of that, she didn't bother to explain to him that they were technically already married.

Her mother was perhaps the only female of marrying age in her household that he hadn't tried to put a move on.... and she figured that was because he knew he wouldn't survive the experiment.  He was a pervert, but not a _stupid_ one.

Sango had been sure she was in love when she'd come across an encounter with her sister Kagome and Mirouku.  Mirouku was being his usual self, which meant he was trying to grope her little sister, and Kagome being who she was had already figured this out.  So when her sister had felt a conspicuous hand inching its way to her derriere she'd pulled out of the hug they were in and given her 'husband' a slap he wouldn't likely forget soon.

Sango had known she should have been angry, but when all she could feel was a bubbling laughter rising from the pit of her stomach at the expense of the man who'd found himself lying on the carpeted floor of the library after the incident she'd known.  She was in love.  She'd succumbed to her laughter then and had laughed even harder at herself as well for being in love with a hentai.

She almost laughed out loud again at the memory, but stopped herself when she heard her sister giggle beside her.  She hoped Kagome wasn't taking a stroll through her mind without her permission.  She knew the younger girl had ways of doing it without the recipient even knowing she was there.

"Whats so funny, Kagome?"

Kagome laughed again, before answering as she turned twinkling blue eyes on her sister, "I was just thinking about the wedding today.  If you step back and think about the day and all that had gone wrong starting with your dress... its a hell of a funny story!"

Sango thought about that and if she did step away from it and not think of it as her _own_ wedding it _was_ actually pretty hysterical.  She started to giggle herself as she turned to her other sister and threw her arm around Kikyo's waist to include her in the laughter.  Kikyo's eyes sparkled with laughter after her lips curved in an uncontrollable grin.

They stood there staring out at a darkening sky, arms around each other as they all thought about the day that had just passed with similar amusement in their eyes.

_~Flashback: Six hours earlier~_

Sango was furious... and not just a little nervous.  She was standing in only her undergarments and slip as she waited patiently for her wedding dress... to be finished.

Madame Elise, a French modiste who preferred to be addressed by her first name and not her last, had accidentally made _her_ wedding dress using Kikyo's measurements!  And since she was much curvier in the bust and hips, then Kikyo was... suffice to say, the dress was too small.

She was getting nervous because the ceremony was due to start in an hour and the modiste had yet to return.... with or _without_ a gown.  And she couldn't even look to her sisters for support because they were busy with other catastrophes.

It seemed that the doves that her mother had ordered had a slight problem.  They had arrived twenty minutes ago all beautiful and soft, but apparently one of the maids had misplaced their cages... so when a large crash had sounded from the vicinity of the kitchens the birds had spooked with a flutter of white wings and taken to the skies when the balcony doors had been opened by an unsuspecting servant returning to fetch more chairs at her father's command.

So, while Kagome was working on finding a replacement for the birds and hiding the hapless maid away, Kikyou was off trying to calm down their angry mother and keep her from deciding to 'misplace' said maid.

So, the fact that she was sitting there hyperventilating and panicking was understandable... if only to her.  When in truth she'd only been waiting for about twenty minutes.  Plenty of time for her to work herself into a good and well deserved panic.

Samgo jumped when the doors to her dressing room opened.  She nearly fell out of her seat with relief when she saw the overly busty form of Madame Elise.

"OH THANK GOD!" she exhaled loudly as she jumped to her feet on unsteady legs.  "Is it ready?"

She let go of the breath she was holding when she saw the woman nod happily.

"Elise does not know how such a mishap could occur.  Me girls are very gifted az you can see, no?" she said in a heavy French accent as she held up the dress for Sango to see. "We do not know how we could have gotten you girls mixed.  Tis' inconceivable, no?"

"Yes, it is odd.  I don't understand it much myself, Madame."

"Yes, well no matter now.  We get you dress, yes?" she asked with a nod of her head.  She only waited a split second for Sango's answering nod.  "Good!  Come."

The older woman's voice was music to her ears.

Sango had already had her maid Else pin her hair up into a thick, french twist at the back of her skull.  She had it all swept away from her face with tiny wisps hanging down along her face to trail against her neck right above her ears.  Around her neck she wore a pearl choker given to her by her mother as a wedding gift.  The dress was the finishing touch.

The dress fell off her shoulders leaving them bare.  The top part stretched across the top of her breast and arms in one large fold made of silk.  The sleeves of the dress were snug and mad completely of lace as it came down her arm finishing at a sharp point at the base of her middle finger on the outside of her hand.  Along the outside of the sleeves there were one hundred pearls each going in a line down both arms.  On the front of the gown were more pearls sown in a design of swirls as it tapered snug to her waist where the full skirt of the gown began.  It fell like the shape of a bell to her feet made of soft silk as gently swept the ground at her feet.

The gown was very beautiful and made her skin appear to be glowing.  At this time in life where fashion was on a cusp of the past and future, the dress was remarkably beautiful.  At this time in fashion where straight-skirted dresses and skirts were just coming into play and full skirts were still here and hanging on strongly.  The dress was perfect.

Sango stood in front of the full-length mirror admiring her image.  She barely recognized the beauty staring back at her.  If it weren't for the chocolate irises staring back at her she would have sworn it wasn't her.

That's how Kagome and Sango found her ten minutes later when they entered the room to check on her.  The guest had started arriving and the garden at the back of the castle was swiftly filling up.

"Oh, Sango..." smiled Kagome as her and Kikyo entered the room.  They both came to stand behind their sister so they all could admire the reflection in the mirror.  "You look beautiful!!"

Kagome grasped Kikyo's hand as she beamed a mega-watt smiled at her eldest sister when their eyes met in the mirror.

Kikyo, feeling the familiar warmth of her sister wash through her from their linked hand, also gave Sango a radiant smile.  She couldn't explain it, even now, but Kagome had always had the power to block the other emotions that were always present within her.  Like her sister was saying to her in her own special way, _'Come on Ki!  Come out and play with us... I'll protect you and keep you safe.'_  And Kagome always did.... she always kept her safe.

It was like Kagome placed a transparent bubble around her in place of the wall she'd built a long time ago.  It was much better then her wall though since with the bubble she was free to show her own emotions as well, without having to worry about someone outside of herself latching onto that emotion and catching a ride.  With her own wall, showing her own emotions still left her open for others to get in, but at this point she was so use to hiding what she felt or at least keeping it firmly in check that it was more foreign to her to show those emotions then it was to not do so.

"Yes, Sango.  You look wonderful, so stop fretting.  He will think so, as well." She didn't need her gift to know what her sister was worrying about.

Only when Kagome touched her and protected her was she able to do so... but Kagome couldn't be with her _all _the time.

Sango was too happy and too nervous to get annoyed with her sister just then, so all she did was role her eyes and stick out her tongue towards the mirror at her sister.  Then she swiveled around and smiled at them both.

"You really think so?  You're not just saying that because you're my sisters and its my wedding day so you have too?" she said this all in a rush of breath as her cheeks tinged pink with the evidence of her excitement... and her need to breathe between words.

"Would we do that?" asked Kikyo with a curve to her lips as she watched Sango give her a knowing look then she outright grinned, "Well, alright Kagome would," she tilted her head slightly towards their youngest sister, "but, I wouldn't dream of doing that to you!"

They all laughed for they knew that Kikyo _would _do exactly that; tell a little white lie, if it was to protect her sister's feelings.  But, fortunately for Sango that wasn't the case.

"So, did you take care of the doves?" she looked at Kagome inquiringly.

"Uhh..." she grinned sheepishly, "Well, lets just say that when the time comes there will definitely be _birds_ flying in the sky."

Sango tilted her head as she pondered just what her sister could mean by that cryptic statement, but seeing the twinkle in both her sister's eyes she decided that she didn't want to know.

"And Mother?" she turned to Kikyo.

"Papa is with her now."

Kagome let go of her sister's hand and walked over to the large bay windows that gave off a view of the garden where the wedding was, shortly, to take place and looked out.

"You won't believe how many people have arrived already!  With twenty minutes to spare!" she smiled down on the crowd of family, friends, and neighbors.  "How punctual of them."

"Hmm..." responded Sango as she rubbed her palms down the side of her gown.  She was listening with only half an ear as she was finding it hard to concentrate.  She was so out of it, she nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt Kikyo grab one of her hands and give a light squeeze in reassurance.

She smiled up at her in gratitude.

"You wouldn't believe how much has gone bad today.  A ruckus had started in the kitchens and in the issuing confusion the top layer of your wedding cake had been knocked off, which Elsee is scrambling right now to fix.  Then, against my better judgment mind you, Mom realizes the Tanaka family has returned and decides I should go and invite Hojo, Yumi and their parents to the wedding, but before I can even get myself out of the house he shows up with the speed of a jack rabbit with his sister in tow.  And of course Yumi, dear heart that she is but very unfortunate when it comes to maneuvering herself around objects and coming away unharmed, knocks over one of the large busts right beyond the doors leading out to the garden.  You know, the one of the goddess Athena?" she continues after glancing over her shoulder for a sec to catch there nods, "Yes, well she knocks that over.  Which wouldn't have been so bad if Kirara hadn't been coming from wherever she was coming from and ending up getting her tail caught between the ground and the statue."

"Oh my God..." breathed Sango in horror.  "Is she all right?  Where is she?  I have to find her!" she turned on her way to the door.  Her voice rising as she feared for her cat.

"SANGO!" yelled Kagome; stopping her sister before she could take another step to storm out of the room.  "She's fine.  Honest.  A little sulky, but fine and you know if she wasn't she'd have found you a long time ago," she smiled reassuringly.  "Anyhow, at impact she howled then let out a stream of fire that not only set two rose bushes on fire, but a few chairs as well."  She smiled then added with a little chuckle, "she also got the hem of Yumi's _lovely_ lavender gown."

They all smiled at that mental image.  Though they all liked Yumi well enough, they couldn't help thinking the clumsy girl got what she deserved.

"Then Dygee, wanting to help fix things, freezes the two bushes that were on fire and Yumi's exposed legs as well.  One of the servants was working on thawing the poor girl out when I left to come and check on you.  So, now you have two charred looking rose bush ice statues for your wedding.  Compliments of Dygee," she gave a small curtsy in mock appreciation.

Kagome turned back to the window to watch the guests once more and immediately regretted it.  The garden had filled up tremendously, but that wasn't what had caught her eye.  No.  What caught her cerulean gaze was the fact that she was watching the dark haired groom flirting with one of the servants: a pretty blonde by the name of Sara.

She narrowed her eyes at the view out the window as she watched Miroku give the boyish grin of his that told Kagome he was trying to decide on the best way he could get a feel of the girl _before_ the girl decided to give him an example of what she thought about his thoughts.... in the form of a slap.

Just then Kagome heard her sisters calling her name

"Kagome!?"

Kagome took a deep breath before turning around.

"What?"

"I asked you if that was all that went wrong today?"

"Hmm.... oh yes!  That was all," she paused as if in though then added, :"Well, that and the Emperor sending his regrets that he couldn't make it today and offered his congratulations."

"I'm sure he did," said Sango dryly with a derisive twist of her lips.  She found a strange kind of irony in the fact that the one person who caused this wedding to take place won't be there to witness it.

Kikyo watched as Kagome turned back to the window and went still when she felt her go tense with anger.  Kikyo narrowed her eyes in question. _'What is she looking at that has made her so upset?'_

"Kagome what has caught your attention out there," called out Kikyo curiously.

She became even more curious when she saw Kagome once again turn quickly toward them, but this time she took a step towards them as if to keep them away from the window.

"Nothing," Kagome answered brightly... a little too brightly.  "Come!  Lets head down.  Papa will be coming for you soon."

Sango gave her sister a speculative look.  She watched as Kagome's cheeks tinge with color as she worked to avoid meeting their eyes.

Sango nodded her head once as if she'd come to some important decision.  Then took a step forward and headed towards her sister... and the window.

Kagome immediately stepped in her sister's path blocking her way.

"Sango.  Wh... What are you doing?  We need to be heading down.  Come on," she reached out to grab her sister, but Sango danced out of her reach.

"No," she laughed at her sister's obvious distress, "I want to see what had you so transfixed.  Is one of our neighbors naked in public, perhaps?  Or perhaps a family member... Oh, Lord!  As long as it's not Cousin Buyo I will live through the experience!"

"SANGO!!"     

"What?" she giggled sheepishly, "Don't act like you'd enjoy seeing Cousin Buyo in his birthday suite.I can't believe how that name has stuck with him all this time.  You started calling him that when you were three and couldn't pronounce his name right," Sango shuck her head in bewilderment and slight amusement.  "Do either of you even remember what his _true_ name is?"

Sango sighed in mock bereavement as both of them shuck their heads in the negative.

"Neither do I."  Just then she caught her sister tilting her head at an angle to get a surreptitious look out the window and immediately remembered what she'd been intending to do.  _The window_.

Not saying a word she quickly made her way to the window, sidestepping her sister to keep out of arms reach.  Sango quickly scanned the garden below her taking in the growing crowd, she was just about to turn away from the window finding nothing interesting when she noticed a familiar dark head.  She swiftly saw read as her anger jumped when she saw said dark head bent closely with the blonde head of a young woman.

"**I DON'T BELIEVE THIS!!  EVEN AT OUR WEDDING HE WOULD DARE..." **she raged loudly, "**HAS HE NO SENSE OF SELF PRESERVATION?!?"**

Sango stood calmly as she watched the man she was to marry _very_ shortly flirt with another woman.  She quietly slowed her breathing and bald her fist at her sides as the rage slowly melted into hurt.

"I'm going to kill him," she said quietly to no one in particular.  She swallowed and lifted her chin as she gave herself a slight nod as if coming to a decision.

Sango swiveled on her heels and turned to her right as she marched through an open doorway found along the wall.  It opened to her bedroom and through there to her closet.  She pulled open her closet with such force that the door banged hard against the wall behind it.  Reaching inside she grabbed the large object she had come for and quickly made her way back to the bay window in her dressing room.

Kagome and Kikyo watched as there sister marched back passed them carrying the large object in her hand; neither saying a word.

"Why'd she get Hirikotsu?" whispered Kagome to Kikyo though she had a feeling she already knew the answer.

Kikyo could feel the sparksof anger coming off of her sister, but she could also feel the her sister's pain.  She could feel the hurt coming from the other girl like huge tidal waves and it was because of this, she didn't try to stop her sister from doing what she was obviously about to do.

"We are about to find out why I suspect," she replied in her usual quiet tone.

Sango stepped to the large window and pulled it open letting the warm breeze creep into the room.  Sango stared below her and couldn't believe her luck!  Miroku and the blonde had moved away from the growing crowd and closer to the table full of refreshments.  She had no idea why they had moved, _probably for more privacy_ she thought savagely, but did not let the sour thought stop her.  He would pay, and pay dearly, for this embarrassment.

With precision and skill she lifted the giant boomerang high above her head.  She narrowed her eyes as she lifted her other arm straight out in front of her with her fingers pointing straight out towards her target.  She slowly took aim and waited for her moment.

She watched as he laughed with the other woman in merriment looking as he was enjoying himself.  She knew perfectly well that the wedding was due to begin in less then ten minutes, but she didn't care.  She was on a mission.

Then her moment came.

She watched as the woman took a small step backwards as she giggled and then as Miroku tossed his head back to let out a large laugh.  And in that moment, while they were blissfully unaware, she let Hirikotsu fly.

She watched as certain people, those she knew who held a keen sense of hearing turned to look in her general direction.  Sango watched as Miroku's head swiveled around as well.  She didn't know if it was his hearing or maybe an innate sense of impending danger or something of the both, whatever it was she watched as he took a swift step backwards as his eyes lifted to meet hers.  Even from the great distance between them she saw his violet eyes flash with some hidden emotion.

**

Miroku slowly extracted his gaze from that of the angry woman on the balcony and returned it to the large weapon before him.  He looked down at the ground where one large tip sat heavily where it had pierced the ground.  He could see as he examined the ground and took in the spot that he was standing in then, the spot he had been standing in and the spot that held the large boomerang he realized one thing.... whether he had moved or not, the weapon would not have hit him.

He saw that the weapon sat in the very _small_ spot that sat between him and Sara, the girl he was talking with.

He swallowed the lump in his throat.  '_Either she's a lousy shot... or has perfect aim.'_

Miroku shuck his head and turned around to make his way inside the castle.  Something told him he had a very angry bride to appease... and apologize too.  Somehow...

**

Onigumo stood next to his wife right underneath the bay window his daughter had made her attack from.  He was not at an angle to see it coming, but he had had no doubt that something would be coming.  From the moment he'd spotted the youngest Masaharu flirting he'd felt a primal need within him to go a beat the daylights out of the young pup, but then he'd decided to let his daughter, whom he knew would have a perfect view of the garden to see what was going on, handle it.

Though, he had to admit, he hadn't been expecting _that_ kind of an attack.  He had to chuckle at the look that had come over the pup's face when he saw the large weapon hurtling through the air.

Him and his wife had heard the weapon almost immediately as their daughter had let it go since they were so close and their hearing was so keen.

But, all that had nothing to do with the astonished look on his face.  No.  No, that look came from the fact that his baby girl had missed!  She never missed._  'Well, there was that one time_,' but she'd never missed since then and besides his daughter had been young then.

"Atsuki, did you see that?"

"Hmm, yes, " she smiled faintly, "though I'm not surprised.  He was playing with fire flirting with Sara like that."

"True enough, but that is not what I speak of," at her puzzled look he continued, "she missed.  She never misses."

Atsuki thought about her husband words as she eyed him thoughtfully.  Unlike her husband she'd been watching her daughter and the young Masaharu over the last two weeks and if what she suspected was true her daughter was already in love with her young groom and if that was so, then she knew that her daughter couldn't cause the boy real physical harm.  But, she figured for Sango to result to using Hirikotsu she either didn't want to come down from the room or she was hurting... and hurting bad.

"She did not miss.  Your daughter aim is as true as it has always been."

He turned to look at his wife as what she was saying slowly dawned on him.

"Are you saying... she _meant_ to miss??"

"Precisely."

"Why?" he intoned with a mixture of shock and disbelief

Atsuki quietly patted her husband's hand before entwining his fingers with her own and guiding him towards the door that led back inside the castle.

"Later dear.  I'll explain it to you later."

**

Sango watched as Miroku made his way swiftly inside the castle.  She knew where he was headed and she hoped he would not be so foolish as to come up there to her at that moment.  She had no idea what she would do to him if he was in arms reach of her, but whatever it was she knew there was no court in the country that would prosecute her for it.  Not after what she just witnessed... on her _wedding day!_

"You didn't hit him."

Sango didn't make any move to show she'd heard Kikyo's quiet statement.  She sighed to herself as she knew perfectly well what her actions would be saying to her sisters.  Sango knew it was really that that her sister was stating quietly and not the fact that she hadn't hit him.

"No, I didn't hit him," she quietly confirmed her sister's query though her statement had not been a question.

Kagome nodded understanding what her sister had just told them both.

"He's coming,"

"I know."

"We'll let you guys talk," said Kikyo then.  "Come on Kagome."

"Alright," answered Kagome with a nod as she followed Kikyo to the door.

When Kikyo swung the door open Miroku was their preparing to knock.

"Ladies," he said in greeting but for once the smile did not reach his eyes

Both of them narrowed their eyes at him.  Silently letting him know that they would not let him hurt their sister a second time.  After a moment of intense staring they brushed pass him without a word of greeting or farewell.

"Sango."

**

The ceremony started an hour late and because of this fact it was rushed.  Both Kikyo and Kagome stood by Sango's side as she gave her vows to love, honor, and obey.  And the same went for Miroku that Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru also stood beside him when he made his promises to love, honor, and cherish.

The only difference that was marked by both families and the guest was that while the groom smiled broadly with joy the bride looked as if there was a good possibility she could be talked into killing the male youkai beside her.

One person in particular made a silent note of that.

Many of the guest also noticed that while the groom's brothers simply looked uninterested the bride's sisters... well, their was more there.  One sister looked passively calm while the other looked highly annoyed, but one couldn't be sure if her annoyance was because of the fact her own wedding would be taking place not too long from now or because of the obnoxious male who kept claiming her as 'his woman'.

Most decided on the latter since no one knew of the girl's own upcoming nuptials.  While others were too busy admiring all three girls beauty-the youngest in particular-to worry over-much about it.

Both the mother of the bride and the mother of the groom led the guest inside to begin the party.  Both women looked stunning garbed in their elaborate gowns as they smiled and made pleasantries with family, guest and each other.  Both of their husbands watched their interaction with more then a little apprehension.  It was not lost on either of them that this wedding had also mad these two women; both with a temper a mile wide and a mile long; family.

Two families that had strong ties to the seat of the Emperor and were as aristocratic as one can get and not be royalty had just been made _one_ family.  No one could imagine the sparks that would fly that night....

_~Back to the Balcony~_

"We should go back inside.  We can't hide out here forever."

"Who is hiding?" asked Sango with a roll of her eyes at her sister.

Kikyo merely arched a brow in answer to that useless attempt to make her think otherwise.

"Oh, give Sango.  You're hiding," said Kagome forcefully then with a sigh of self-disgust she added, "We're _all_ hiding."

They all stayed quiet for a moment none wanting to confirm or try and deny the observation.

"And _damn_ if we're not doing a sad job of it!  They're directly behind us!  They don't even have to move from those seats to get a good look at us."

With Kagome's words they all looked sideways at one another before silently coming to an agreement.  They each took a deep breath then as one turned completely around to face the three gazes they'd been avoiding for most the night.  They all walked forward until they were standing just inside the doorway.

Kagome took a discreet glance around the room to make sure a certain youkai was nowhere near by.  Kikyo stared straight ahead with a soft tilt to her lips.  Sango after a moments pause began to walk forward.

"Sango," Kagome called out in query.  "Where are you going?"

Sango stopped and cast a glance over her shoulder and caught her sister's blue gaze.

"I believe the bride and groom have a dance to make that is long over due."

All three shared a smile before making there way to the table that the three men resided.

                                                     ~*~

Author Note:  I am sorry, that it has taken me so long to get this up for you guys.  I have no excuse except that I had to unexpectedly leave town for a while and had no time to type... only to write.  And while I've been back for about a week now I've been having difficulties with Fanfiction.net.  I couldn't log into the damn site!!  Anyway, I am back and I apologize once again for the HUGE delay.

I would like to do something that I don't usually do... and that's make a recommendation.  I usually leave this up to Striking Falcon since she is sooooo good at it, but I've found a Sess/Kag fic that I think is really good and think need more reviews so she keeps writing.

Story:  Through Time and Space  (don't remember i.d number)

**Author**:  SesshysHime 

It has a very powerful Kagome who is also very sad.  As well as a very sad Sesshoumaru.  But, things get interesting when they come together for answers and comfort.... okay, I suck at summaries!!  Just go and read it!  Please???

Now, I must be off, I have 2 chapters to give on A Second Chance at Love and a much over due chapter on Life's Amazing Querks.  And as you can see the cast is out, they haven't been able to go out for over a month....


	6. A Very Rocky Start

Disclaimer: Nothing interesting here people!! Please move on, move on!!!

A/N: I wasn't going to post this 'til I was closer to the end of _A Second Chance At Love_, but I couldn't wait any longer...Sorry for delay, but if you didn't hear the news, I received a promotion at work and didn't have a lot of time on my hands with 12 hour work days!! What was I thinking?!?! Now, I still don't have a lot of time but I have more than what I had when training... so I'm back to finish these and start more!!

The Feud: A Marriage Made In Heaven.

Chapter 6: A Very Rocky Start.

"Are you serious?" he asked eyes wide. He wasn't sure how he felt about the information his wife just gave him. And what was with that smile on her face? "You think she's in love with him? Already?"

Onigumo stomach jumped as his wife nodded at him again. "But... isn't it a little soon for that?"

"Early?" she gave him a sarcastic look. "Oni, _I_ fell in love with you in two _days_, I would say that's a lot sooner then two _weeks!"_

"Two days? Are you sure?" he gave her an innocent smile.

"Yes, I'm sure. You didn't even court me properly. We talked and spent time together for three days, what you called 'your getting to know me process' later while I was already in love with you, then on the fourth day you came up to me and _told _me that I was going to be your Mate and then handed me your grandmother's ring."

"Ah, yes. I was quite the romantic, wasn't I? Why waste time!" he smiled with a mischief sparkle in his eye.

"Yes," she agreed dryly, " romantic."

He laughed at the look on her face. He knew how she felt about their not-so-traditional courting period. She never let him forget it, of course. Which was fine with him, he enjoyed needling her with it and seeing her huff at him. But, in truth Onigumo really didn't see why she wasn't happy with the way it came about. He knew he loved her and he knew she loved him so why waste time courting? He saw nothing wrong with skipping to the wedding... which he _still_ had to wait two months for in the end anyway.

Onigumo twisted his lips as he thought about that, but was interrupted by his wife wanting his attention from beside him.

"Look."

He turned his head in the direction she indicated. When he caught what she was showing him, he narrowed his eyes as he watched intently the scene happening across the ballroom floor from him. His eldest daughter was approaching her new husband of a few hours with her sisters not far behind her.

Onigumo immediately stiffened.

He watched as his daughter stopped in front of her young groom and lean towards him. Though he tried, he couldn't hear the words they exchanged over the music and the chatter of the other guests. He dearly wanted to tell everyone to shut up so he could hear, but refrained from doing it. As he continued to stare he slowly released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding when his new son-in-law stood and took his daughter's hand and lead her on the dance floor.

Onigumo watched the young couple dance for a moment then blinked in surprise when his daughter Kikyo and her intended, though the rest of the guests didn't know that, also moved on to the floor to dance.

But, he nearly fell out of his seat in shock when his youngest daughter and her intended joined the other two couples. Onigumo turned to look at his wife then and arched a brow at her. He wondered what she made of the scene on the dance floor.

"Well," she said with a small smile. "I didn't see that one coming, though I must say they do make very striking couples."

"Yes, I agree," said a new, yet familiar, feminine voice to her left.

Atsuki turned her head to look at Ryumi Masaharu; her husband was just behind her.

"My son is dancing," said InuTaisho Masaharu aloud to no one in particular. His eyes were trained on his heir and the small woman in his arms. She looked so fragile beside his son, but he knew her looks were deceiving. There was much power in the small female. He had a feeling there was much power in all three sisters.

InuTaisho frowned to himself as he watched the pairs dance.

Both wives shared a knowing look before turning their gazes on their husbands.

"What I wouldn't give to be a fly over there and be able to hear what they are saying," breathed Atsuki with a gleam in her eye.

"Well, then. Who am I, to disappoint?" asked Onigumo with a look at his wife before he stood up and held out his hand to her. "Shall we?"

Atsuki smiled at her husband before putting her hand in his. She knew very well what he was up to and she couldn't believe she was going along with her husband's obvious plan at eavesdropping.

InuTaisho stood by his wife as he watched the other couple move towards the dance floor as he too thought he wouldn't mind knowing what was going on out there. He still couldn't get over the fact that his son, his _very_ _unemotional _son, was out there on the dance floor. Dancing. With a _girl._

Not to imply that his son usually danced with men. On the contrary, he didn't usually dance _at all_. And that was what had the current Lord Masaharu astounded.

"Shall we dance dear?" asked Ryumi turning to look at her husband. She'd grown tired of waiting for him to realize his duty. She too, wanted to get a closer look at what was going on, on the dance floor.

Lord Masaharu turned to give his Lady a thoughtful look as if he was contemplating all the problems of the world. For a moment she wondered if she should repeat the question as she was thinking he didn't seem to have heard her when he suddenly grinned at her. He took a step back and bent forward into an elaborate bow.

"My lady," he said as he offered her his arm.

InuTaisho almost laughed out loud at his wife's girlish giggle before she placed her hand on his arm.

He slowly led her on to the dance floor.

_The Dance Floor_

Sango smiled over her husband's shoulder at her parents when they joined the others on the dance floor. Out of the corners of her eyes she noticed her sisters, who were on either side of her, had also noticed the couple's arrival and had smiled in response as well.

They all watched as Lord and Lady Masaharu took the floor not long after their parents. It wasn't long after that more couples had also stood up to dance as well.

Sango noted her cousin Sara was on the floor with a mysterious young man with long blonde hair. She frowned in their direction, but decided as long as the couple stayed on the other side of the dance floor from her and Mirouku she wouldn't have any problems... and neither would Sara.

"You realize that looking at her like that is not going to make her disappear," said Mirouku into her ear quietly.

"Hmm. If she knew what was good for her she would," replied Sango; not even bothering to act like she didn't know what or _whom_ he was referring to.

"Sango, I was just talking to her," he said with a heavy sigh. He'd been saying it since before the wedding. Of course, until she'd stop talking to him after the ceremony was over that is.

At his words Sango leaned back from him as she gave him a knowing glare.

"You don't know how to just _talk_ to a female, Mirouku."

Her dry tone was not lost on him. Mirouku looked her in the eyes as they danced slowly around the other guests on the floor.

"If you believe that, why are you so upset Sango-chan? You cannot imagine I do such things to you on purpose."

"No. I don't think you do it on purpose," she said with a frown. That was at least the truth. "But, that isn't the point."

"Well that's good since it is not at all true."

This made Sango stop dancing and stand stock still on the dance floor.

"Really?" she asked with sarcastic look on her face. "Name two."

"Name two what?"

"Two women," she answered. "Name two women who you have had a simple conversation with and nothing else."

He arched a brow at her

"My mother and yours."

She rolled her eyes at the triumphant gleam in his eyes. At any other time she would have laughed knowing it was meant to be a joke, but now she couldn't find it in her to laugh... at least no yet.

"They don't count. One's incest and the other would kill you... or her husband would. Whichever one got to you first. Try again."

He gave her a lopsided grin as he unconsciously pulled her closer.

"Does it matter?" he asked. "I'm married to you."

"Hmm."

Sango stared at him as she tried to lean away from him while he was trying his best to keep her close, causing her back to arch from the waist.

"You really don't see what the problem is, do you?" she said with a look of thoughtful disbelief on her face.

He smiled a huge grin at her, but when he saw her face take on a hard look he knew he'd made a mistake. Mirouku lowered his eyebrows as he felt her arms drop away from his neck. He knew she was upset about the blonde servant he'd been talking to earlier, but he'd assumed they'd gotten past that since she'd finally agreed to let the wedding continue. He didn't understand why she didn't see that the other girl meant nothing to him.

Mirouku had always been the friendly type. And sure, there were times when he flirted too much, he'd be the first one to admit that, but he loved women. Women intrigued him. With their mysteries and their strengths and weaknesses, women held something that he, as a man, didn't have and it called to him. Women of all shapes, sizes and colors. It didn't matter to him, but there was only one woman he _loved_... and she was standing right in front of him.

But, how was he supposed to get that through to his wife? How many times was he to tell her that he loved only her before she believed it and felt no threat from his wandering eye??

"Sango, I do. I do understand what's wrong."

She looked him in the eyes as she studied his face. For the first time since they'd met she was seeing his face with a serious look on it, but something in his eyes was making her nervous. Sango swallowed hard; she didn't like being nervous.

Nervousness made Sango scared and when she was scared, like any cat, she lashed out and looked for a means of escape.

"No you don't," she whispered as she moved to extract herself from his arms.

Mirouku tried to hold on to her, but one hard look from her, he sighed and let his arms fall to his sides.

They stared at one another for a moment before she turned and walked away from him. Leaving him standing on the dance floor alone.

"But, I do Sango. I just don't know how to fix it," he whispered, but she was too far away to hear him. He ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

Mirouku darted his eyes to another pair like his own. At his father's nod he moved to follow his wife. Taking no notice of the other people on the floor.

Kagome had seen the entire confrontation between her sister and her new husband and had prepared herself to also extract herself from the arms of her future husband to go after Sango, but was held firm by the inu-youkai.

"Let him go. She is his responsibility now."

"_She_ is _my_ sister," replied Kagome through gritted teeth.

Sesshoumaru looked down into bright blue orbs and stared for a moment before responding to her.

"Her anger is senseless."

_"Senseless!?!"_ she whispered heatedly; not wanting to cause attention to herself, but unknowingly doing just that. "He _hurt_ her! And you say her feelings are senseless!!"

Sesshoumaru watched the blue fire ignite in her eyes and couldn't help feeling a small sense of intrigue. There weren't many who had the gumption to speak to him in such a tone, much less look at him the way she was looking at him then.

"Hm. I'm sure you've guessed that _Miroku_ is the last person who would purposefully cause harm to a woman."

Something in his tone caused Kagome's back to stiffen.

"And what? You're the first? Is that what you're implying?"

He arched a brow at her then.

"It is not a matter of concern to me," he replied quietly. His face betrayed nothing as he watched her stare at him in shock. "I have not met a woman in battle."

Sesshoumaru stiffened for a second as they both stopped dancing. He didn't know why he added that last part. It was almost as if he didn't want her to think he would hurt females, though why he wouldn't want her to think that was beyond him. In truth, he was actually being honest when he said he never really thought about it before. If a person was foolish enough to put themselves in a position of defense against him, be they male or female, then they would get exactly what they were looking for.

Though, what female would be foolish enough to challenge Sesshoumaru, he wondered to himself.

_'Battle?'_ Kagome said to herself in disbelief. Did he really think she was talking about a _physical_ battle? She suspected Sesshoumaru Masaharu was many things, but stupid was not one of them. He was deliberately misunderstanding her, she knew, and was wondering why.

Kagome tilted her head sideways as she studied the beautiful youkai before her. She wondered if it was possible that he and his two brothers actually _talked_ to each other the way she and her sisters did. And if they did, that would mean that he _knew._

He _knew_ and he thought her sister was being _senseless_?? Which was just another word for saying her sister was being unreasonable or even.... _stupid._

She wanted to know. Kagome stepped closer to him and once again began to dance.

"You know, don't you?" she asked quietly. "He told you why she's mad and you still think she's the one who is being wrong."

He circled with her around the dance floor. He'd noticed several pair of eyes that were watching them. Sesshoumaru knew it wasn't usual for him to dance and figured that was what was drawing so much attention on them, but he doubted it was the only reason. He looked down at the emotional creature in his arms, who didn't look at all like a youkai in humanoid form, as he wondered idly why she found the issue they were discussing so important.

"He is as he always have been," he said quietly. "The marriage has not made anything different."

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean!?"

"It means what it says." He looked back up to focus his eyes over her head once more. "A nice person would say my little brother is a lover of women, if only through his eyes."

"But, you are not a nice man Sesshoumaru."

Kagome shrugged as he arched a brow at her.

"I do not recall ever claiming such a title."

"No you haven't have you?" she replied as she averted her eyes from his face to hide the clouds in them. "So then what would you call your brother, Sesshoumaru?"

"I have heard him be referred to as a pervert. The word is acceptable."

"Hmm," she said as she tilted her head back to regard him once more. She, herself, had referred to her sister's husband by the name on more then one occasion. "Yet, you think my sister is being senseless."

"Though I loathe to repeat myself," he glanced down at her for a moment before continuing, "he is as he always have been."

Kagome sighed as she looked away from him. She knew perfectly well what he was getting at. He was saying that Sango knew what she was marrying before she married him, so if she didn't have a problem then; why now? And for the life of her she couldn't come up with a good argument on her sister's behalf.

All Kagome could think was that this was all the Emperor's fault, because even if her sister did have issues about marrying Mirouku there was no way she could get out of it anyway.

Deciding to throw that little bit of fact back at him, Kagome turned her face back to his and opened her mouth to speak-- and gasped in shock when suddenly an arm grabbed her around the waist.

Kagome froze as she was spun around on her heels and into another set of arms. Her eyes widened in surprise before narrowing in anger when she saw who it was.

_The Wolf prince, Kouga._

She'd thought she'd gotten away from the wolf youkai. She hadn't even known him for twenty-four hours yet and he was already acting like she belonged to him. And he was so annoying. No amount of hinting that she did not like him like that was getting through to the youkai. Kagome suspected that he wasn't very bright.

"Kouga," she smiled weakly. "How... what a surprise!"

"Kagome you looked like you could do with a new dance partner. Why you would choose to dance with Sesshoumaru here I don't know. Everyone knows he doesn't dance. And I bet now you see why!"

Kagome narrowed her eyes at the wolf as he laughed at his own joke.

"Kouga-," she started in a warning tone, about to give him a piece of what she thought of his thinking abilities, when she was cut off by a silky smooth voice.

"Kouga. Do you enjoy breathing?" asked Sesshoumaru from behind her. Kagome looked over her shoulder, and though she couldn't see any anger on his face, there was no mistaking the steel in his golden eyes.

At the sound of his friend's voice, Kouga was beginning to wonder if he'd done something wrong.

"Hehe, What Sesshoumaru?" he could feel himself beginning to sweat. His friend wasn't referred to as 'The Killing Perfection' for nothing.

"Breathing," replied Sesshoumaru without so much as a twitch of his eyes or a change in voice as he stared at the wolf youkai. "Was it something you planned to continue doing or did you view it as something to pass the time?"

"What?"

"Because," Sesshoumaru continued as if he hadn't spoken, " if you did see it as something you would like to continue doing in the near future, I would suggest you remove your hands. Now."

Kouga slowly looked from Sesshoumaru to Kagome and back again, before hastily dropping his arms from her waist.

"Sheesh, Sessh," Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at the wolf for the first time since he'd joined them, "you act as if she belongs to you or something."

Neither Kagome or Sesshoumaru responded to that. Then Kagome's eyes widened once again as a hand shot out from behind her, over her shoulder, to clamp tightly around Kouga's throat.

She watched silently as the wolf was swiftly lifted four feet in the air in front of her.

Everybody in the room was watching them now. Kagome could just imagine what they saw as she stood in the middle of two male youkai while one had his arm stretched straight out over her holding the other by his throat in the air. She knew what everyone was probably thinking; that Sesshoumaru and Kouga were fighting over her.

Kagome nearly laughed out loud at the thought. She'd only known the Masaharu heir for two weeks and even _she _knew that their was no way he'd fight over a woman... and definitely not over her. When she thought about how some of the people in that room were supposed to have known her future husband for many years and some since as far back as childhood, she had to tilt her chin down and look at the floor to hide her smile. It was too funny!!

What Kagome didn't know but would soon learn was that Sesshoumaru would, indeed, fight for and protect anything he considered to be his. And the moment Kagome signed the marriage contract; in his eyes; she'd effectively made herself his.

"I am Sesshoumaru Masaharu. Call me something else other then that again and you will regret it," he said softly as his eyes flashed dangerously at Kouga before he opened his hand and let him fall.

Sesshoumaru placed the hand that was around the wolf's neck on her shoulder, in a silent gesture of possession.

Kagome, unbeknownst to Sesshoumaru's thoughts, watched as the wolf prince gained his feet and stood up to wipe off the seat of his brown suite pants. She'd wanted to help him, but something about the feel of the hand on her shoulder told her it wouldn't have been a wise move at that time, so she kept still instead.

Kouga opened his mouth to say something then after a second, thought better of it and then after giving Kagome one last smile he walked away.

Kagome shuck her head at his retreating back then went as rigid as stone when she felt another arm go around her waist. This one was as hard as stone and unyielding to her attempts to move it.

Though she was thankful for his interference with the wolf, Kagome wasn't delusional about the reason for it. They both were trying to treat her as some possession; as something to be owned. And while the wolf's actions were puzzling, Sesshoumaru's were confusing and irritating.

She wished he'd make up his mind, already. One moment he acted as if he could care less about her being his wife and the next he acted as if he would kill anyone who tried to take her away. Was their any wonder why she was confused? _'The baka,'_ she said to herself.

Sesshoumaru looked down at the dark head of hair in front of him as the girl tried to remove his arm. Did she really think he was going to allow her to walk away from him? If that was her intentions, he wasn't about to allow it to happen. While he found the girl to be nuisance, even an intriguing one at times, he was not about to let her go. She had an unusual beauty that she was thankfully, it seemed, unaware of and he had every intention of keeping such a beautiful object... for now. Actually, he thought, all the sisters were pretty.

But, this one in front of him was already his wife and she would not show him disrespect. He would not have it!

Kagome locked eyes with her sister Kikyo who wasn't to far from her and seemed to have been arguing with her dance partner as well. She quickly made the connection.

_'Ki. What do I do? He won't let me go!'_ she asked huffily. _'I will not be owned!'_

_'What can you do without making a scene?' _asked Kikyo with an angry spark in her eyes. _'He will not let me go after Sango!'_

_'Neith-'_

"Concede."

Kagome froze at the very familiar voice cutting into her thoughts to her sister. _'Can he hear us?'_ she wondered to herself. Because it sure sounded like he was answering her question to her sister.

Kikyo's head swiveled around to view her sister as she momentarily forgot her own Masaharu problem.

Kagome stopped trying to pry his arm away and slowly turned to face the inu-youkai and in the process broke the link with her sister.

She gave him a searching look, but could not determine anything from his expression. He looked as calm as he had ever looked, but she could see that the flames were still in his eyes. Which made her own anger and irritation build for she saw no reason for him to be angry. What did _she _do to _him_?

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"Stop fighting me," he began though he saw no reason to for in her need to turn to him she had already put herself where he wanted her to be, "and concede."

"You, Sesshoumaru Masaharu, do not own me. And I will _never_ concede in that."

He brought his hand up to rub one long finger down the left side of her face lightly. The finger stopped at her chin and then slowly tipped her head back further to look up at him.

"You are wrong Kagome _Masaharu_." She watched the heat in his eyes make his golden orbs glow. "You belong to me. Your own hand made sure of that, my lady."

Kagome was mesmerized by the look in his eyes and couldn't get a hold of her brain to find a decent come back. It was not lost on her the fact that he'd called her by another name.

Not too far away, as all around them, four pair of eyes watched the interaction between the children of theirs that were still on the dance floor. They could see the battle brewing between both couples from the moment it had started when both girls had, separately, tried to follow after their other sister when she'd stormed off the dance floor and out of the ballroom.

They noted the rumors flying around the hall about the wolf's almost getting himself killed by his friend even though he was one of the few who could call the Masaharu heir a _friend, _to the one of shock that the Sesshoumaru Masaharu was dancing, to the one that Inuyasha Masaharu wasn't causing a scene(when, in fact, he was. Just this one wasn't all his fault), to the one that the Higurashi girl in Inuyasha's arms seemed to be better suited for Sesshoumaru since they both seemed so detached, to the rumor that the Higurashi girl in Sesshoumaru's arms was the most luckiest girl in the world for not only did she have the most beautiful man after her, she also had the wolf prince who was very handsome himself. Atsuki had almost laughed aloud when she'd heard that last one because she knew her daughter would be the last one to agree with that. She thought, _all_ of her daughters were lucky, for the Masaharu sons were all a very good catch, though she would never say that to her husband.... or InuTaisho Masaharu for that matter. She'd never hear the end of it from either Taiyoukai.

The real shock was that these two families that had been fighting for more years then some could remember... was now family themselves. Many wondered if they would live through the fireworks that were already starting in the ballroom, while others wondered if the _country_ would.

_Outside the Ballroom_

Mirouku stood by Sango quietly. She'd refused to speak to him from the moment he'd caught up with her in the billiards room. Not that it mattered really, since he didn't know what to say to her anyway. He knew she was hurt and angry, but he also sensed fear in her and that was what was throwing him off. Anger and hurt he could handle. Those weren't so hard to deal with, but _fear_ was a whole different problem all together. Especially since he had no idea why or what she was scared of.

And that feeling of helplessness was making him uneasy.

Sango wouldn't look at him. In truth, she really wasn't mad at him, not really. Yes, she was hurt that he would flirt on their wedding day, but if she was to be completely honest with herself she had to admit that she would have been more worried if he hadn't flirted. Mirouku was a pervert of the first order and she knew that all those women dressed in their finest would have been too much for him to deny himself and if he would have she would have worried something was wrong with him. _'Besides, what was a few obscene suggestions and wandering eyes?' _she asked herself with a rueful smile. True every now and then he also had wandering hands, but every time that happened the idiot usually got a just reward for his troubles in the form of a slap to the face.

No. While she was a little angry with him for that, that wasn't what was causing her upset mood.

For as long as Sango could remember her gift had always been apart of her. She couldn't even remember what age she was when the visions had first started coming to her in dreams. Back then she could even see her own future. It wasn't until much later that it was becoming more visions of other people and less of herself. The experience had been scary and had often kept her up at nights in fear of what she might dream about. But, even at such a young age something inside her was telling her that what she was seeing wasn't merely just visions. That what she was seeing was actually happening somewhere.

She had first told her sister then, together, they had went to her parents. And later her father's mother, Kaede-sama, had begun to help her learn to control the visions so that they could only come when she wanted to know something, but as she gradually learned to control the visions she was slowly losing the ability to see her own future. But, it wouldn't be until after her eleventh birthday that she'd figure that out.

After her initial fear of not knowing what was in store for herself and with her mother's help she'd come to accept that her gift hadn't been meant for herself personally. And she had grown fine with that... until recently. Not knowing whether her marriage to Mirouku was going to work caused a fear in her that she couldn't explain. One part of her knew that she loved him and that he loved her so their marriage had to work, but a bigger part of herself didn't hold such confidence and not being able to see it for herself in her visions only made matters worse.

She wanted to know. She _needed_ to know everything would be okay.

Sango had tried everything. All the tricks and meditations her Grandmother had taught her when she wanted to call on a vision didn't work. While she always received a vision it was never one of her and Mirouku and what visions she did get did not help matters.

Sometimes she would get visions of one of her sisters except that they were either pregnant or had a child around them. She could never see anything of the children to indicate who their fathers were and none of the Masaharu sons were in her visions. Which she thought was odd, but not really a problem.

No the only disturbing vision Sango had was the one of _her._ A little girl of seven or eight years with a pigtail on one side of her head and the rest of her dark hair was left to hang loose. She had dark brown eyes that shined when she smiled and looked so heartbroken when she was crying and scared. It made Sango sad to see her that way and, of course, in most of her visions of the little girl that was how she saw her.

What worried Sango and disturbed her was that she didn't know who the child was, but that the child obviously knew Sesshoumaru Masaharu.

Sango knew this because in her visions when the little girl is crying she calls out for her "Sesshoumaru-sama". There were others of the little girl looking around with fear in her eyes, but in those visions the girl doesn't say anything. It was obvious that the girl was in danger, but the question is; who is she? And who or what is threateining her? Is she a future daughter of Kagome's and if not, how does she know Sesshoumaru Masaharu?.

When Sango had first seen the visions she'd thought that maybe Sesshoumaru Masaharu had a daughter. _'Hadn't there been rumors a couple of years ago of him being engaged?' _She wondered why she hadn't remembered that earlier. But, she had quickly discarded the 'Sesshoumaru's daughter' idea because the girl looked to be human.

Then she had thought of her sisters and herself and how they all looked to be human too, when they were full niko-youkais. That was what had made her wonder if the little girl could be a future daughter of Kagome's. Perhaps the child had inherited their human looks from her mother? Her mother had always told them that their gifts came from the place inside them where most youkai's had the ability to change into their true forms. That Kami-sama had given them those powers in exchange and that their unusual skill at combat and handling weapons, as well as their keen eye sight, came from them being niko-youkais. Atsuki had also figured that was where her daughter's familiars also came from. They each had a familiar that could not only transform into a larger version of themselves, but also held powers to control certain elements.

Even with those facts and what she knew of herself and her sisters she still wasn't sure the little girl in her vision was like them. For some reason she couldn't shake the feeling that the little girl was truly _human._ And while humans and youkai had been interacting with one another for many years now it didn't explain why the little girl was calling for her 'Sesshoumaru-sama' and not one of her parents. Not to mention, why the vision of her popped up whenever Sango was trying to get a glimpse of hers and her sister's futures.

It scared her even more because she could sense a danger in the vision that seemed to be aimed at _her_ and not at the child.

Sango wanted to talk to her sisters about it, but they hadn't come out of the ballroom for some reason. Only Mirouku did. She would have liked to talk to him about it, but he didn't even know about her ability and she was afraid to tell him since she had no idea how he would react to the knowledge.

Sango sighed once more then turned to look at the youkai beside her for the first time since he'd come after her. She waited for him to turn to look at her then locked her eyes onto his purple colored irises. She could see the concern in his eyes and was warmed by it.

"Hold me."

Mirouku's eyes widened at the request, but immediately opened his arms for her. When she moved into them he slowly closed them around her and held her close as she buried her face in his neck.

He felt her slightly shiver against him and quickly tightened his arms around her.

Mirouku sighed to himself as he bent his head down to rest his face in his wife's neck. He gave her a small peck on the neck before resting his mouth against her skin. He was worried about her. He was glad to see her fear wasn't of him since she was in his arms, but he could still sense that the fear was still there. Mirouku wanted to help her, but he couldn't unless she told him what was wrong.

He wished he could talk to Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha. His eldest brother would give him advice and then he would know, at least, what _not_ to do.

For some reason he had a feeling there was more to this then just him flirting with a pretty servant.

_Fin_

Author: Sorry for the delay everyone, but with my computer deciding its going to do whatever it wants... I fear there will be even more delays until I can fix it, the best I can do is read other stories and write, since our local library doesn't allow uploads! We really need to get those computer cafes I hear other states and countries have. (sigh)


	7. The Importance Of A Kiss

Disclaimer: Nothings changed here….

A/N: The block is gone! WOOHOO! does jiggy dance Can you believe I know exactly how books 2 and 3 are going to go, but I was having palpatations over this one! Sheesh! Well, heres a nice long chapter to say "l'm sorry, and I'm back!" Forgive me?

(Duchess waits for reply as room goes quiet. She hears a needle fall on the carpet)

blink blink

Well… moving on…

I would like to thank my betas Jess, Wendy and Drianax for all of there wonderful work and help!

**WARNING! CHAPTER CONTAINS LEMON! LEMON ALERT! LEMON ALERT! LEMON ALERT! **Though I think I toned it down to a nice tasteful R. If anyone wants to read the NC-17 version you can find it at media miner under the same penname or on my livejournal (the link is on my bio)

_This begins where chapter 6 ended…_

Book I: The Feud: A Marriage Made in Heaven.

Chapter 7: The Importance Of A Kiss

Miroku rubbed his hands gently up and down Sango's back as he held her close to him. He didn't understand what had made her break down like this, but it worried him. Something other then himself was troubling her, and while he was glad it wasn't him to put the tears in her eyes he didn't like them being there at all.

"Sango?"

Sango tightened her arms around his waist and buried her face against his chest in answer. A silent plea for him not to let go.

She knew what he wanted to ask her, but how could she explain to him her fears without telling him about her secret? And she still had no idea what the visions were about or what they were trying to tell her. All she knew was that a child Sesshoumaru knew, and knew well apparently, was in great danger. And if the child knew 'Sesshoumaru-sama' then it probably went without saying that Miroku knew the child too.

What was she suppose to do?

There was also the fact that while the child was obviously scared in her vision, she still got the distinct feeling that the danger was aimed at herself and not the child. She couldn't explain, but Sango always felt a deep chill run through her whenever she saw the vision,

And she'd been seeing it sense the night she went to bed after signing the marriage contracts.

Perhaps it was time to talk to her sisters.

"Come. We have to go back in."

ooooo

_(Two hours Later…)_

Atsuki sighed inwardly as she watched her husband closely as he frowned at a spot across the room.

If she wasn't mistaken, that was the tenth time he'd frowned in not so many minutes. She knew what he wanted to do and she knew that his wish to not make a scene was the _only_ thing keeping him from doing it. She really couldn't blame him for it either. What was the pup still doing down there in the ballroom?

She turned her head to look at the forlorn figure leaning against the wall on the other side of the hall.

Ir was funny really, in a slightly dstorted ironic way, how the young inu was well on his way to making a _social impasse_, and her husband was holding himself back to keep from making a _social impase._ For she could very well tell that Onigumo was itching to get his hands around Miroku's neck.

Her husband had resorted to clasping his hands behind his back when balling them at his sides were not helping… and others had begun to stare at him.

She reached behind him and softly ran her hand over his tightly balled ones in reassurance. She had no idea what Miroku was waiting on, but if he didn't get a move on soon, _she_ would be the one he'd have to worry about. Not her husband.

She felt rather then heard the other woman come to stand on her other side, as the woman's husband come to stand on the other side of Onigumo.

"Ryumi," she gave a small smile in greeting. There was no reason to be impolite just because the woman's son was … well, doing _nothing_.

Ryumi nodded her blue head in answer as she too looked at her son leaning on the wall across the room. Something was troubling him; she could tell. And whatever it was, while it wasn't very bad, it wasn't all that good either. But, it could be fixed.

"What the hell is your son up to, InuTaisho?" growled Onigumo to the man beside him.

InuTaisho would have really liked to defend his son, but truthfully he had no idea what was going through his youngest son's head. And he was nothin, if not brutally honest.

"I haven't the foggiest idea," said the taiyoukai with a shrug. And they wonder where his son, Sesshoumaru, gets his attitude from.

Truthfully, InuTaisho wouldn't have minded if the Higurashi's were to get some bad publicity, but this time his own family would be dragged with them. But, while it would look bad for them, it would look even worse for the Higurashis.

For right now, Miroku was well on his way to stating to the entire room, which was packed with the most influential people under the Emperor, that he _didn't_ want this wedding, and he definitely didn't want his _wife_; in any way, shape or form.

Which was twice as bad, because it was widely believed that there wasn't a woman alive of marrying age that the youngest Masaharu woluldn't be interested in bedding.

But, it seemed marriage was a different matter to the young pup.

Onigumo eyed the taiyoukai beside him out the corner of his eye. He could easily see the smirk the youkai wasn't trying very hard to hide and gave a short nod. _'So, that's how it is,'_ he thought sagely to himself then gave a short nod.

Fine. Decision made.

"I'm going to kill him."

He nodded once to his wife and then to the disbelieving taiyoukai beside him and moved to take a step. _Nobody_ embarrassed his baby girl. Not while he still breathed.

And damn sure _not_ while he stood in the same room and watched.

He went to take another step as he tried to think of the best way to kill the pup leaning against the wall _without_ actually getting his clothing messy when he felt a hand holding on to his arm.

"Be still, dear."

He turned to stare into his wife's deep blue eyes.

He saw the look in her eyes and sighed. He was not going to be allowed to kill the little whelp. But, perhaps if he said 'please' he'd be allowed to break his legs after all the guest had left? He'd try to run the idea by her later, when she didn't have that _look_ in her eyes anymore.

Unlike her husband, Atsuki was paying attention to more then just the groom lounging across the room from them. She was watching the other five as well. So, she saw as one of them moved from there spot at a nearby table and make his way over to the, current, bane of her husband's irritation.

"I-" he began, but cut himself off at the hard look in his wife's eyes.

"This is your daughter's wedding reception. Behave." She gave him one last look before returning her gaze to whom she was watching before. She watched intently as the other man stopped beside Miroku.

"Watch and wait."

Onigumo gave his wife one last questioning look, then decided to frown at her for good measure (not that it caused any kind of an effect) before doing as she instructed. He turned his head back in the direction she indicated. His eyes narrowed at what he saw, but he stayed still and waited.

Four pair of eyes watched as Inuyasha stood beside Miroku with his arms crossed over his chest.

ooooo

Inuysha shuck his head at the picture of his brother leaning against the wall staring at his bride who was sitting at a table with her sisters.

"Yo, Miroku," he called out as he stopped next to his younger brother, "what the hell are you waiting for?"

"What do you mean Inuyasha?" responded Miroku with a lazy lift of his eyebrows.

Inuyasha tilted his head to the side in wonder as he gave his brother a disbelieving look.

"You know you've passed the 'embarrassment' stage and are quickly approaching the 'social suicide' stage. Now, I would be the first to tell you to take what anyone else thought and shove it off the nearest cliff, but _this_ is just weird coming from you?"

Miroku eyed his brother thoughtfully as he tried to figure out just what the hell he was on about.

Inuyasha took in his brother's confused look and tilted his head in question. Did he need to spell it out for the idiot?

"Miroku, if you don't get your ass over there and take Sango upstairs I'm going to beat the hell out of you!" he said through gritted teeth. For once in his life, Inuyasha was making an effort to not make a scene. It wasn't easy. He hoped his brother appreciated the sacrifices he made for him. "I don't care where the hell you take her, but get her the hell out of here! What are you trying to do! Bury her reputation!"

Miroku's eyes had gradually widened as Inuyasha yelled at him 'til they resembled the size of saucers. He took a quick glance at the huge clock on the far wall to his right.

He nearly choked at what he saw!

He couldn't believe that much time had passed since they had come back in.

After he'd decided that he wouldn't approach Sango to leave when he'd seen her laughing with her parents he'd made the choice to let _her_ decide when they would leave. He knew she was still a little sore about not having a say in what happened in her life, all of them were if he wasn't mistaken, so he figured he'd give her something that was hers alone.

They would not leave the reception until she was ready.

But, he had no idea she would take this long!

Did she not realize what she was doing to herself. Yes, he would share in the scandal, but it would ultimately hurt her more then him. She couldn't stll be mad, could she? She was just in his arms and she hadn't complained.

Perhaps it wasn't a good idea leaving it up to her after all.

He looked over towards the table where she sat with her sisters and found that she was looking right back at him. Chocolate brown met violet. He wasn't sure what her eyes were trying to tell him, but he knew one thing; he'd waited long enough to have his bride.

It was time to say goodnight to the guests.

Miroku slowly began to walk towards her; never releasing her gaze. He could feel his palms begin to sweat lightly as he drew closer. He was nervous. His surprise nearly stopped him in mid-stride when he realized that fact. He was _never_ nervous when it came to women. He didn't get his nickname 'Houshi' for nothing. The guys thought it was kind of funny, since he was the furthest thing from a monk as you could get…. but, only when it came to women. In any other sense of the title he probably could have been a monk.

He'd been accused of being sweet, charming and pretty insightful as many times as he was called lecherous and… other names.

He sighed when he saw one of his friends, Bankotsu, making his way over to him. Miroku stopped to exchange words with the long haired demon before he could keep moving. His mind on the woman watching him.

He was stopped two more times by more well wishers before he was allowed to continue on his way to the table. He knew it was more curiosity then it was a need to wish him and Sango well, he knew, that had everyone stopping him. Which was rude. So, if they could be rude, then so could he. He'd wasted no time on telling them what they could do with their 'wishes'. He'd seen Sango turn to look at her sister for a few minutes from the corner of his eye, but now her eyes were back on him.

Miroku reached her side sooner then he expected and just stared down at her for a moment. His nerves had disappeared when he'd been waylaid by friends and curious guests, but now they were back and preventing him from saying anything to her. He knew she could read his intentions in his eyes. All he was able to do was extend his hand to her with a slight bow and pray that she took it and came with him.

ooooo

She'd been sitting at the table with her sisters since she'd come back inside. After telling them that she needed to talk to them they had all decided to meet in their garden in the morning, early, as to not be disturbed. Then the conversation had turned to less important things, such as, the guest and what they were wearing, who was obviously interested in who (they also had a good laugh about Kouga and his 'interest in Kagome; which Kagome didn't find funny at all)

Sango had thought nothing of the time passing by until she felt the indistinctive feeling that she was being watched, When she'd taken a curious look around the room she discovered she was, indeed, being watched; by everyone.

But, when she'd dared to look directly at anyone the other person would immediately divert their eyes somewhere else. She didn't know what that was all about.

"Do you guys know…" she began as she turned back to her sisters only to trail off at the looks they were giving her. It was the same as everyone else's.

"What?"

"We're just wondering when you plan on leaving?" replied Kikyo evenly. She was having a tough time around the guests and with all of their minds whirling around the same thing it was making it very difficult for her to concentrate. The different emotions flying around had caused her to make her inner shield stronger then usual. Even having Kagome near by wasn't helping her.

She could feel everyone's curiosity and speculation, not to mention some of their pity for her sister and others righteous anger on Sango's behalf. She had to fight to not let anymore of it in.

Sango took in her sister's detached look and tilted her head in thought. She wasn't going to get any answers just by staring at Kikyo; she obviously had her walls on 'impervious'.

"Leaving?" she looked from one sister to the other, "where would I be going?"

"Upstairs," said Kagome helpfully with a half smile and a roll of her eyes. _'And shes the oldest,'_ Kagome smiled ruefully to herself as she waited for the 'light of enlightenment' to shine on her sister. She didn't have to wait long.

"Why would I…" Sango began then her eyes widened, "oh." As her cheeks tinged pink she realized just what her sisters, and everyone else, was waiting on. And from the looks of it, there was a time limit on these things… How much time was given to do these things anyway? And did Miroku know they were late?

She turned in her seat to find out and gave a small start as just when she'd landed her eyes on him he turned his head to look directly at her. She stared back at him as she felt her heart begin to beat faster. She could read that hungry look in his eyes even from where she was sitting and knew that meant that he was ready to leave as well.

_More_ then ready.

Sango tried to swallow the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat as she watched Miroku begin to move towards her. She could feel her palms dampen as she tried not to fidget in her seat. He wasn't taking his eyes off her as he was moving towards her and she suddenly had a the strange thought that she imagined this must be how a hare felt when it was being chased by a wolf. _'Well, maybe not exactly like this, but damn close to it'_, she thought as she wiped her palms on the skirt of her gown.

Maybe this wasn't a good idea? Maybe they should wait a few more days? You know, more time to get to know each other…. Perhaps they were moving too fast? They'd only known each other for two weeks! Two weeks couldn't possibly be enough time to do what he wanted to go do! She began to unconciously wring her hands as she quickly and methodically began to talk herself into a small panic attack. She had conviently forgotten that she'd just _married_ the man she was sure two weeks wasn't long enough to be contemplating _going upstairs_ with.

Kagome and Kikyo exchanged knowing looks as they eyed their sister from across the table. They knew she was worrying herself into an attack and if they didn't stop it she'd be hyperventilating soon. Their eyes darted to groom who was moving steadily towards his bride, and knew they had to do something quick or Sango's wedding night was going to be ruined by Sango herself.

Kagome started giggling. When she saw Kikyo giving her questioning look she just shrugged and motioned for her sister to work with her.

Kikyo arched a finely shaped eyebrow in response.

Kagome rolled her eyes at her sister and moved from giggling to outright laughing as she focused her attention on her other sister. She nearly sighed in triumph when Sango turned her head to stare at her in question. She continued to laugh. But, when she noticed Sango's curious look was turning to one of offended indignation her laughter lowered to a giggle that died to a sort of cough to a clearing of the throat.

And then there was silence.

"Whats so funny?" asked Sango quietly. She'd forgotten all about her worrying or about going upstairs. She just knew her sister had been in her thoughts again and Kagome knew she didn't like her doing that without asking her first!

"Your face," Kagome covered her smile with her hand. "You're turning red!"

Kagome smothered another giggle as Sango arched a brow at her. She hated when they did that! She was the only one of the three of them who couldn't lift her eyebrow like that. Even their parents could do it… and so could Sesshoumaru, she thought with a sulky sigh before she pushed his face from her mind. She was on a msssion right now. She had to continue to distract her sister for a couple minutes longer. Just until Miroku could get there and take the decision out of Sango's hands. She had no idea she could fake laugh out of the blue like that. It was kind of weird laughing when there was nothing funny.

Until her sister turned around that was. Then Kagome had really been laughing because her sis's face had really been red!

And if one more person stopped Miroku from getting to Sango she was going to really make a scene. _'At least they're all men…'_, she thought with an inward sigh.

Sango grimaced, she guessed she should at least be happy that that meant her sister hadn't been inside her head without her knowledge or permission.

"Remember that time when mama made you play the piano in front of the entire family when you were ten," Kagome smiled at the memory as she continued, "I didn't think your face would ever return to its natural color you were so red!"

Kikyo smiled softly at the reminder. That had taken place not too long after they'd discovered that Kagome had the power to shield her from others as long as she was near enough to her sister for Kagome to do it. When they were younger and Kagome was still learning she had to stay by Kagome's side for her shield to protect her. Now, as long as they were in the same room, she was alright with only Kagome's help.

But, they'd been around others all day and the strain was taking its toll on the shield… and she could sense Kagome was gettng tired like everyone else.

Sango's cheeks tinged even more red. Kagome's mouth fell open in shock when she saw it happening. She didn't think it was possible for her face to get any brighter.

"I'm glad you find it so funny Kagome," Sango said with a slight frown, "I'll remember that when it's your turn to _go upstairs"_

"Still thinking about that are you?" she wiggled her eyebrows. She stopped smiling when Sango gave her a withering look. "Oh, come on," she cried in exasperation, "it can't be that bad! You make it sound like your going to another country, never to return again."

"Spoken in the words of a true innocent," Kikyo interrated quietly.

Kagome's cheeks burned with embarrassment. She turned to Kikyo then and crossed her arms. "And you're not?"

Kikyo had never experienced the 'deed' first hand, but through someone else… Well, lets just say it left more to be desired.

She answered Kagome's question with a look. One that clearly said _yes and if it's up to me it's going to remain that way._

Sango opened her mouth to speak when she felt someone standing behind her. She turned her head to the side to turn around in the chair when she saw the hand. _His _hand. She tilted her head back and came eye to eye with a very familiar pair of violet eyes.

Her mouth went dry as her panic attack began to show signs of life again.

She looked down at his hand again as she chewed her bottom lip. What to do? Sango figured she would just have to tell him that she wasn't ready for that and that perhaps they should try again in another two weeks. She raised her eyes to his again, licked her lips and opened her mouth… and just sat there.

Sango could clearly see the desire in Miroku's eye, not that he was trying to hide it, and she could also see the bit of fear too. What could he possibly be afraid of? She wondered what was going through his head as she stared up at him. Then she started to remember how nice it felt in his arms and how she enjoyed being kissed by him and how she felt all tinglely whenever he touched her in an inappropriate way (which, lets just face it, was often) and how she trusted him never to hurt her and ho- _'Okay, I like him, I got it1'_ She mentally shuck her head to stop that train of thought.

She sighed to herself as she saw the trust in his eyes that she knew was for her. There was something else there too, something she couldn't identify, but it made her feel all warm inside and caused her to blush again. She smiled softly as she placed her hand in his and let him pull her from her seat.

Miroku released the breath he was holding. For a moment there he had had a sinking felling she was going to deny him and he had no idea what he was going to do when she did. But she didn't. When she'd smiled up at him with her cheeks all pink from her blush he'd felt his heart melt all over again for her. So, when she'd placed her hand in his he'd grabbed at it as if it was a life line and nearly yanked her out of her seat. He didn't want to give her any chance to do anymore thinking.

If there was at least one thing Miroku had learned about his new bride over the last two weeks it was that she had an amazing ability to quickly talk herself into a panic attack. It really was an extraordinary sight to see, but now wasn't the time for his wife's theatrics.

He felt it had something to do with the headaches she said she got sometimes. From what he saw, she got them more then _sometimes._ He couldn't count how many times he'd come into a room and found her clutching at her head while her neko purred at her in worry.

He had to remember to make a point of making sure she told him about that now that they were married. Telling him it was just a simple headache wasn't holding water anymore.

But, that could wait for now. He had something more important to do.

Get his wife upstairs.

Sliding an arm around her waist he easily pulled her against his side as he turned to give his farewells and thank yous to the guest. He grinned at the yells of encouragement he was getting from many of the males in the crowd (the ones that weren't standing next to their wives, sisters, or mothers). When he looked down at Sango he had to fight to keep his grin from turning into an out right smile when he saw the disapproving look she was giving him.

"Shall we bid our parents goodnight?" he asked, ignoring her frown.

Sango sighed to herself as she gave a nod in agreement. She didn't know why she even bothered to try, he was never going to change. She should just accept it now, her life would be so much easier.

She let him steer her in the direction of their parents as she smiled at their guests and accepted their congratulations. When they reached her parents she immediately flung herself in her mother's arms. She buried her face in her mother's neck as she breathed in her scent. _Vanilla and lilacs_. Her mother always smelled like vanilla and lilacs. Ever since she was a girl her mom's scent had always brought her and her sisters comfort just like their father's more stronger scent of spice and brandy always made them feel safe.

"You'll be alright sweetheart. You'll see."

Atsuki wrapped her arms around her daughter and hugged her tightly to her body. She could feel the slight trimbling of her daughter's frame against her as she rubbed a hand up and down Sango's back.

"Do not fear your husband darling," she whispered softly into her daughter's ear as she watched said husband hug his own mother goodnight. "He will not hurt you. Besides, your father would kill him if he tried."

Sango smiled into her mom's neck before taking a deep breath and stepping back.

"I know he wouldn't mamma," she agreed then she grinned as a twinkle came into her eyes, "besides _I'd_ kill him if he tried."

They shared a knowing smile then she moved to give her father a hug. She kissed her father's cheek before wrapping her arms around his neck. "Thank you papa."

Onigumo hugged her close as he glared at Miroku over her head.

Miroku turned from his father towards his bride and nearly started at the hostile look coming from Lord Higurashi. He blanched inwardly as he wondered what he could have done to bring that kind of reaction. He couldn't believe it had to do with him wanting to bed his daughter could it? It's not like they weren't married now and not to mention this was his own fault. Not that Miroku was complaining, but Lord Higurashi Onigumo was named Naraku for nothing. He thought Kikyo was lovely and Kagome was beautiful, but Sango… Sango was enchanting. If he'd had a choice she was the sister he'd have chosen. Mentally shrugging off her father's glare he met the Lord's crimson orbs with a quirk of his brow before leading Sango back the way they came.

He waited patiently as she hugged her two sisters before he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the room behind him.

ooooo

Kagome sighed as she watched her sister and her new husband leave the room. She smiled softly as she thought about the way Miroku watched Sango when she wasn't looking and he thought no one else was either. She was sure that Miroku loved Sango just as much as Sango loved him. Even if she wasn't ready to admit it to him.

"Well," sighed Kagome to her other sister, "that was nice."

"Yes. Everyone will probably be leaving soon."

Kagome hmm'd in agreement. She would have given anyting to be able to put her head down on the table,

"You know, for a moment there I thought Sango wasn't going to allow him to take her out of here."

"As did I," replied Kikyo. "It would have been an interesting scene."

"Hn. That's one way to put it."

Kikyo went still when she heard the familiar voice from behind her.

"Hello Inuyasha," smiled Kagome. "Are you and your family leaving now?"

"Soon," he replied as he sat in the seat beside Kikyo. "Kikyo."

"Inuyasha," she nodded stiffly in response.

She'd been avoiding him since she'd escaped him on the dance floor with the pretense of needing to speak with her father. She knew that was the one person he wouldn't have dared try to accompany her to go see as she knew he wasn't all that comfortable around her father. She'd had to get away from him for a bit because he gave her strange feeling in the pit of her stomach and made her feel too self-conscious. She didn't understand what it was, but she didn't like it. Not to mention, she found him rash and some what irresponsible, which made him annoying at times. She felt confused and inadequate; she didn't know exactly haw to handle him.

"Oh," nodded Kagome then her eyes snapped up to his. "Where's your brother?"

Inuyasha grinned then. He knew that Kagome and his brother didn't get along well since she found his brother arrogant and Sesshoumaru, in return, thought Kagome impertinent and disrespectful. If you asked him, he thought they were both right. He found their arguments to be entertaining. He liked Kagome's fire and wouldn't mind if just a little of it would rub off on Kikyo.

In truth, he argued with the youngest daughter more then his brother did. Sesshoumaru just tried to tell her what to do. He wondered when his brother was going to realize that Kagome wasn't going to do whatever he told her to just because _he_ told her to. She wasn't like other girls.

None of the sisters were.

"Why you wanna know where Sesshoumaru is at?"

Kagome grimaced, but she refused to speak bad about her intended. Her mother would kill her.

"No reason," she shrugged, "just wondering."

"Well since you're just wondering," his grin grew, "he's behind you."

Now it was Kagome's turn to go absolutely still.

She knew she was tired now. No one was ever able to sneak up on her like that. Usually she could sense a person's aura before they ever made it within ten feet of her. But, he was there. Now that Inuyasha had brought her attention to him, she could feel him directly behind her. Kagome could feel the brush of his aura against hers. It sent shivers down her spine.

Why did he always have this effect on her?

She kept her eyes trained on the table top as she heard him move to sit in the chair next to her. Kagome could feel his eyes on her. She could picture his golden eyes in her mind and had to fight not to fidget from such an intense look. She knew she couldn't stare at the table forever; she'd have to look at him.

Kagome closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

She slowly turned her head to look at him. Gold held blue. Every time she looked at him she remembered the way he'd treated Kouga on the dance floor. Right in front of anyone who'd felt like looking… which was _everyone._ She was so embarrassed. For the rest of the night every time she looked at any female she was met with a hostile glare. She couldn't believe the effect he had, yes she'd heard about it and yes he was as beautiful as everyone said he was, maybe more so, but really he was not the nicest person in the world. She thought he was quite rude to be honest. He also seemed to think she was there to cater to his every whim.

She continually had to tell him different.

Sesshoumaru stared down at the woman he was to marry sooner or later and gave an inward frown. She was beautiful he'd give her that, but beauty was easy. While she seemed to have an interesting affect on him, making him want to both wring her neck and protect her with his life, he didn't much like her. He admired her spirit and he could sense great power in her, miko power, he didn't much care for her impertinence. She'd actually had the audacity to tell him to go away.

His eyes flashed as he remembered the event from earlier.

x_Flashback_x

"_You Sesshoumaru Masaharu, do not own me. And I will never concede in that."_

_He brought his hand up to rub one long finger down the left side of her face lightly. He stopped at her chin and then slowly tipped her head back to meet his gaze._

"_You are wrong Kagome Masaharu," he'd replied to her comment as she caused a slight irritation to heat within him. "You belong to me. Your own hand made sure of that, my lady."_

_He watched as anger darkened her eyes to a stormy blue. He could tell she didn't appreciate his words. He didn't much care though; it was no more then the truth. She was his._

"_I belong to no one, Masaharu, least of all you."_

_He could hear the restrained rage in her quiet tones as she was fighting to keep her temper in check. He wondered idly, how she functioned with so much emotion. Didn't she find it exhausting and a complete waist of time and energy?_

_She really was intriguing._

"_On the contrary," he said softly as he held her close while he continued, "we are legally married. Which makes you, according to law, in a sense, my property."_

_Sesshoumaru figured it was just a matter of time before she understood her position and where she stood with and begin to act accordingly._

"_If you are looking for property_ my lord_, I suggest you go else where," she began as a blue flame ignited in her eyes, "because it will be a cold day in hell before I am any man's possession."_

_Such fire! He couldn't help admiring her courage no matter how foolish he found it. No one, especially not a woman, had ever had the nerve to stand up to him as she did. And while he found the trait admirable it was not a trait he wanted in _his _wife._

_He rubbed his palm softly along the soft skin of her neck as he gave her a look full of intent. He felt the bob of her Adam's apple as she swallowed nervously; a shiver going through her body. It was about time she realized the ice she was walking on and showed a proper fear._

"_I see you are beginning to learn your place, miko. This is good."_

_She slowly brought her hand up to place it over the hand he had at her throat and silently pulled it away from her. "Go away Sesshoumaru, before I do something that I will have to apologize for later."_

_He'd stood astonished at what she'd said. Sesshoumaru had been sure she was afraid a moment ago. He could smell coming from her in waves. What the hell happened? _

_They'd stared at one another for a few seconds longer, neither saying anything, before she'd raised her eyebrows at him and then turning on her heels and walking away from him._

x_End Flashback_x

Sesshoumaru had kept away from her the rest of the party though he had a feeling she had been avoiding him as well. He would make her pay for her treatment of him, that he had no doubt about.

"What," Kagome gave a slight start at the sound of the unexpected voice of her sister. She'd completely forgotten that Kikyo and Inuyasha was at the table.

Inuyasha held his hand out towards Kikyo. He liked flustering her, though you couldn't tell by looking at her, he knew she was flustered. She only repeated herself when she was trying to figure him out.

"I said lets go dance."

Kikyo looked at his out stretched hand then back at his eyes. She couldn't get over how much he looked like Sesshoumaru, yet didn't. They had the same eyes, but where Sesshoumaru's were sometimes guarded, Inuyasha's expressed everything.

"The reception is over, Inuyasha," she answered evenly. She didn't understand why he was putting this request to her. They had danced earlier. Besides, she wasn't sure she was all that readly to be that close to him again so soon. Just sitting beside him was causeing her stomach to act a little funny. "People are leaving."

Inuyasha didn't even bother to look around him as she guestured towards the departing guests; they didn't interest him. She did.

"The musicians are still playing," he countered with an arch of his brow.

She, again, looked at his out-stretched palm. "For what purpose?"

Inuyasha heaved a sigh before taking her hand and pulling her from her seat. No one ever accused him of having a lot of patience. That was Sesshoumaru and Miroku's department. He just viewed the word 'patience' as a hundred dollar word for 'a waist of time'.

"To give the love birds some privacy."

Kikyo looked over her shoulder at her sister when she heard a sharp intake of breath behind her as he hauled her away from the table. She watched as her sisters cheeks tinge pink, whether from embarrassment or indignation, she wasn't sure as she had her shields completely up.

Inuyasha swung her around into his arms and settled her form lightly against his own. She immediately stiffened in his arms. He knew he was holding her a little closer then was really acceptable, especially since she was unmarried, society-wise if not technically, but he liked the feel of her against him.

"Relax," he breathed into her ear. "I won't hurt you."

'_Hurt her?' _Like he could! It was not a fear of him hurting her that caused her to react stiffly to him, but something much more basic then that, but Kikyo still wasn't quite sure what it was. She'd locked herself off from feeling out of protection that sometimes she didn't understand her own. Especially when it was something she couldn't recall feeling before. Not knowing made her uneasy and since it was because of him she didn't know, he made her feel uneasy.

"I'm relaxed."

And she was dammit! Or… she would be in a moment.

"No you're not," he grinned, " the broom handle is in your spine again."

She looked at him sharply before diverting her gaze to a spot on a spot somewhere to their left. She hated when he said that! Everytime she felt a little… cautious… around him he'd say her back would go completely straight. He'd resulted to calling it a 'broom handle'. There was nothing wrong with having good posture!

It had absolutely nothing to do with him.

They continued to dance in silence since she refused to even look at him. After a few minutes she unknowingly began to relas in his arms. Inuyasha could feel her fingers playing with the small hairs at the nape of his neck. It sent shivers down his spine. He had to consciously fight not to purr from the pleasure of her touch. He didn't want to scare her stiff again. When he noticed the song coming to a close he slowly brought their dancing to a halt.

He had to tighten the arm he had around her waist when she immediately went to move away from him to keep her where she was.

"Kikyo?"

Inuyasha waited for her to look at him, but after a few moments when he realized she wasn't going to, he let go of the hand that his other hand was holding and gently grasped her chin. He brought her head around and tilted her face to look at him.

"What will it take for you to trust me?" he asked when her hazel gaze met his.

She sucked in a breath then.

Her eyes flickered back and forth between his. She could see the sincerity in them. His eyes stayed locked on hers, unwaveringly, as he waited for her response. Kikyo, for the first time in her life, had no idea what to say. She had the sudden urge to lay her head on his chest and let him have whatever he wanted of her, but to allow him to get that close… to allow herself to get that close… would mean releasing the shields that she'd worked so hard to create. She wasn't sure she was capable of doing that. He could be kind, irrational, sweet, impatient, quick to laugh, and even quicker to anger. He was loyal to those he cared for, and unforgiving to those who hurt them. He would give his life for a cause, a friend, and loved one. All that emotion… could be the end of her. Kikyo was literally frightened… yet he also made her feel safe when she allowed him to. She could tell he really wanted her trust. What scared her even more was that she wasn't at all sure he didn't already have it.

She had no answer for him, so she decided to answer his question with one of her own.

"What makes you think I don't already?"

Inuyasha looked at her face. He took in the high forehead and the thin arched eyebrows the same shade of dark brown as her hair, the thickly lashed clear honey brown gaze that hid more then it showed, the small nose that was upturned just a bit at the tip, and then his favorite; her mouth. Her top lip was fuller then the bottom, which just screamed _come nibble me._ He desperately wanted to do just that, too. Then his eyes skimmed over her flawless skin that he knew felt just as soft and creamy as it looked. Lastly, the small pointed chin with its stubborn tilt, which he figured belied a stubbornness she had yet to display.

All in all, he liked what he saw, but he knew there was more to her then what was seen. He knew, though she seemed to be impassive and uncaring, that she really was just very guarded. She didn't like to open herself up for whatever reason; she was like Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha knew what people called his brother when they thought he couldn't hear; calling cold and unfeeling. What they didn't know is that Sesshoumaru did feel, he felt a lot, but because of an incident in his past he didn't much trust what his feelings told him anymore. With Kagome's help, Inuyasha had hoped that that would all change; that she'd get what was beneath the mask.

With Kikyo, Inuyasha wanted to know what was beneath all the beauty, but she wouldn't let him… because she didn't trust him. He wasn't going to give up though.

"I know you don't," he responded after returning his gaze to hers, "not yet."

She'd seen him studying her face. She wondered what he saw when he looked at her. For some reason she got the feeling he saw more then what most people saw when looking at her; more then just her face.

"I'm not sure," she answered honestly, "no one has ever asked before."

Inuyasha nodded at that; he guessed that made sense. That also meant, in his mind since he was the first, that there was no right or wrong way to go about getting it.

And now seemed like a good time as any to start.

He leaned down, bringing his face closer to hers.

"Then let's start here."

Before she knew what was happening, and could move to stop the inevitable, his lips were on hers.

And the broom handle was back.

Inuyasha lightly ran a knuckle down her spine. He felt her shudder against him and smiled inwardly. She wasn't as indifferent to him as she pretended.

Kikyo froze when his lips met hers.

She couldn't believe how warm and soft his were. He seemed to be so hard everywhere else. When she felt something moist draw across her top lip the unexpected lurch in her stomach caused her to gasp in shock.

Inuyasha quickly took advantage of her surprise and swept his tongue inside her mouth to deepen the kiss. Her mouth was warm and tasted of honey and the wine that had circulated around the room all night. He boldly swiped his tongue across the roof of her mouth then softly over her own tongue; trying, unsuccessfully so far, to gently coax her into participating. While he enjoyed plundering her warm cavern he wanted to also know the feel of her mouth moving underneath his. He wanted her to kiss him back.

Kikyo felt a slow heat travel through her body as she melted against him. Her skin tingled as heart beat faster in her chest. She moaned softly as she felt the tightness in her breast when they brushed against him. She could taste as well as feel his desire as he gently nibbled on the swell of her top lip.

She went still then as her mind whirled inside her head.

_His desire._ She slowly slid her hands from around his neck and down his chest as she removed her lips from his. She kept her hands flat against his chest as if she was trying to decide whether to push him away or not. Kikyo lowered her head as she tried to understand and make sense of her thoughts.

_I can feel his desire._ Was it only his? Was any of it hers? Someone was angry; she could feel it. Kikyo looked up and around her as she remembered they had been dancing in front of anyone who happened to still be in the ballroom.

That meant he'd just kissed her in front of an audience.

But when she looked up only seven people remained in the room? Even the musicians had already left. The only ones who'd witnessed the kiss were her parents, his parents, Tanaka Hojo (thank God his sister wasn't with him), and Kagome and Sesshoumaru who were still sitting at the table.

Inuyasha could feel something was wrong. He followed her gaze as he tried to figure out what it was. His eyes fell on her father. He could see the anger and violence that was just below the surface. He dropped his arms from around Kikyo's waist. Why was he so angry?

Kikyo realized the anger was coming from her father, she could feel her mother's worry, Lady Masaharu's curiosity and concern, Lord Masaharu's confusion; he didn't know whether to disapprove or take pride in what he'd seen. She had no idea why he'd want to feel proud. She could also feel Hojo's astonishment and Kagome was worried for her… but not because of the kiss. Her sister could tell, somehow, that her shields were down. The only one she couldn't feel anything from was Masaharu Sesshoumaru. She didn't know what to make of that bit of information. Not that she could think straight anyway.

She could feel her panic growing inside her and had to fight to get control. She was scared, confused, upset, anxious, curious, happy, worried, lustful, hurt… she was so many things.

She couldn't tell which feelings were hers, which belonged to Inuyasha, and which belonged to everyone else.

Kikyo touched the tips of her fingers to her lips as she felt a tear run down her cheek. She trembled slightly and could still feel her lips tingling from the touch of his as she sucked in a quiet breath. Kikyo slowly yet methodically built up her shields again.

Luckily they hadn't been completely gone.

She quietly wiped the tear from her face as her trembling stopped. She needed to get out of there and away from him. She needed to think in peace where she could figure out what happened so she could make sure it never happened again.

Kikyo lifted her head and looked over at the Masaharus and gave them a nod before turning to her parents and doing the same. She smiled politely to Hojo then turned to her sister and Sesshoumaru. After giving him a respectful nod she exchanged a meaningful look with her sister before finally facing Inuyasha.

She stared into his golden gaze. She could see his concern as well as the questions that were written there, but mostly she could read his guilt. He wasn't sure if he'd done the right thing. Kikyo felt a slight twinge in her chest as she stared into his guilty eyes. If only he had been confident. Confident enough not to have that look in his eyes, on his face, then maybe… maybe she'd… but, he didn't. He wasn't.

Now she had to on her own.

She returned her gaze to everyone else. "Goodnight," she said softly, almost in a whisper then turned back to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha knew that look. Her mask was up; she was going to run. He had to stop her. He had to try…

"Kikyo…"

She took two steps back from him.

"Goodnight Inuyasha."

Then quickly moving pass him, she exited the room.

Onigumo watched his baby all but run from the room then turned his crimson gaze on Inuyasha. His eyes darkened to the color of a pool of fresh blood; almost black. He took a threatening step towards him.

Only to be cut off by InuTaisho.

"What the hell are you thinking Higurashi," his voice deadly. "You will not touch him."

"Get the fuck out of my way Masaharu!"

At the table beside Kagome, Sesshoumaru silently stood as he heard his father's refusal. His eyes were on Inuyasha, but anyone who knew him knew his attention was on his father and Naraku.

Kagome, not knowing why, also stood and silently slid her hand into Sesshoumaru's. Her eyes never left his face. She knew her mother would not let a fight break out. For some reason, it was Sesshoumaru her heart worried for.

His hand gently closed around her much smaller one.

Inuyasha kept his eyes on his brother as he waited for the signal that would dictate his next move.

Onigumo's hand moved down to rest on the hilt of the sword that never left his waist. He opened his mouth to giving a cutting reply only to shut it a moment later when his wife and Lady Masaharu move to stand between himself and InuTaisho.

Atsuki gave her husband a look from beneath her lashes as she grasped a tight hold on her temper. She knew he was just trying to defend his daughter. She was trying not to hold the fact that Kikyo didn't need defending against him.

He was a father who loved his daughters very much.

Ryumi was having similar thoughts about her own Lord husband.

"No."

"Stop it."

"But, Atsuki."

"_No_, Onigumo," she repeated softly but firmly.

Onigumo didn't understand. Why was she protecting that filthy dog?

"He _hurt _her!"

"How?" she asked with an arch of her brow as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Tell me how he hurt her and I will gladly step aside, 'cause all I saw was a kiss. How was she hurt by that?"

"He… she….I…" he was getting frustrated because he couldn't explain it, but Onigumo knew what he saw. And he saw his baby cry for the first time in a long time.

"He didn't hurt her Oni. Yes, he's brought some things to light that she was not prepared for, but the blame for that is not his. Now she must learn what it means and what it means for her. This was bound to happen sooner or later sweetheart, no matter who it was. Be thankful it was Inuyasha and not someone… else." Someone who didn't care about Kikyo or her feelings was left unsaid.

"She's hurting, Atsuki," he sighed. "My baby is hurting."

"Yes," her eyes were sad for her daughter. She knew Kikyo was very confused right now, but she knew her middle child needed to understand on her own at her own pace. "But, only for now. She needs this. She needs to understand what it means. Until then, we can not help her."

"But…"

"Don't worry," she interrupted, "just because _we_ can't help her doesn't mean someone else can't. Someone, who knows and understands her… unique qualities," she tried to explain without having to actually give anything away to those in the room who didn't know about Kikyo and her sister's abilities. "She will have the help she needs."

Onigumo took his wife's meaning and slowly let his hand fall from his side. He looked over his wife's Lady Masaharu's head to Lord InuTaisho. He could see the questions and the curiosity in his eyes, but kept his face blank. Not allowing his face to show any signs of having noticed that something else was being said then what had been said aloud, he quietly nodded then walked from the room.

Silence reigned as they all watched him leave.

After a moment Lady Masaharu spoke.

"Well, I think its time we returned home," she gave a strained smile. "The reception was lovely Atsuki and the wedding… the wedding was interesting."

Atsuki smiled at the twinkle in Ryumi's eyes and was given an answering smile in return.

"Yes, well," she swallowed her laugh, "the next one is your turn Ryumi. Good luck! I dare say you'll need it."

"I'm inclined to agree."

With a bow to everyone and a soft goodnight Atsuki moved to the door. She paused to give her last remaining daughter a telling look before continuing out the opening.

Kagome, understanding her mother's look, lightly squeezed the hand she was holding. On impulse she raised up on to her toes and reaching a hand up she tugged on Sesshoumaru's braid bringing him towards her. She placed a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth, her lips only slightly touching his, before releasing him. She felt his hand give her hand a squeeze in return before releasing it.

She wondered briefly if it was intentional or not. She watched as he stared down at her, face impassive, and unknowingly wondered the same thing about this brother that her sister wondered about Inuyasha: What does he see when he looks at me?

"Thank you," she whispered.

Then she turned and bade everyone goodnight as she moved to politely lace her arm through Hojo's.

"I'll walk you out Hojo-kun as the front entrance is on my way."

It wasn't, but he didn't know that. With a smile and a curtsy to Lord Masaharu she left the rest of the Masaharu family alone in the ballroom.

No one spoke until the sound of Hojo's blushing chatter was gone.

"I think," began InuTaisho thoughtfully, "that there is more to the Higurashi daughters then what it appears. We know the youngest girl, Kagome, is a miko, perhaps the other two have secrets as well." He looked around from the two of his sons that were present to his wife. "Do you think there is perhaps some truth to the stories about them?"

"Do you, father?" asked Inuyasha skeptically. He wasn't sure about the rumors himself, but he did think there was something the Higurashis weren't telling them.

The confrontation between Lord and Lady Higurashi was proof of that.

InuTaishotilted his head to the side in deep thought for a moment before responding.

"I think there may be," he nodded then looked at his wife who also had a look of contemplation on her face. "Ryumi, what do you think?"

All three males waited for her answer. They'd to come to learn, from experience, that she always noticed the things they missed. And she was usually right.

"I think," she finally began slowly, "that if what you are suggesting is true, and there are some truths to the stories, then I doubt Kagome's secret is her miko powers."

"But, the stories say they have secret powers; abilities. And that those powers are very strong, as well as those cats of theirs."

"Yes, which means there is much more to that little girl and her sisters then you think."

"We need to know what they are."

"Hmm," she agreed, if only because her sons could be in danger. Even though she seriously doubted that, she still wanted to be sure.

Sesshoumaru agreed with his mother completely. There was much more to Higurashi Kagome then met the eye and he was willing to bet that went for the other two sisters too.

"Do you think Miroku might…" began Inuyasha curiously.

"Know Sango's secret?" finished Ryumi. At Inuyasha's nod she shuck her head no. "I doubt your brother would have pulled that stunt with that maid if he knew what Sango could do. He didn't even know about that large weapon of hers. You saw the look of surprise on his face."

Sesshoumaru arched a brow at the admiring tone in her voice. His mother was so predictable. She always liked a woman who could take care of herself. She always said a woman should not be idle.

"Sesshomaru," said InuTaisho turning to his son, "you haven't said anything. What do you think?"

"I think the Higurashis aren't telling us something."

They all shared a look that clearly stated they would find out what those secrets were before they all moved towards the door to leave.

ooooo

x_Upstairs_x

Sango stood before Miroku in a flimsy white satin and lace night gown that only feel to mid thigh. She felt horribly exposed as he stared at her and she tried not to fidget in embarrassment. He stood in front of her, his shirt hanging loose from his pants, as he took her image in from head to toe.

Mroku';s eyes ran over the long elegance of her throat to the milk curve of her cleavage that was visible above the lace of the low heart shaped neckline of her nightgown. He could easily see the curve of her full breasts outlined through the satin fabric. His eyes roamed slowly down her waist and came to a stop at the junction of her thighs as he tried to see if he could see her through the gown. He finally continued on down to where the satin of the gown stopped and the silk of her lightly tanned thighs began.

She had legs that went on forever. Miroku was getting hot just imagining them wrapped around him as she took him into her moist heat. He could feel his pants getting tighter just thinking about it.

He slowly brought his eyes back to hers and waited for the sign that he could touch.

Sango could feel her skin tingle everywhere his eyes had touched as he'd roamed her body. She'd even felt moisture grow between her legs when his eyes had stop there and lingered. She was getting hot.

She could read the question in his eyes and she was thankful that he was letting this go at her pace.

Sango closed her eyes and took in a deep breath before opening her eyes again and lifting her gaze to his.

She gave him a small nod.

Miroku saw the nod and from the light of the candles he could see that there was still some nerves in her eyes, but they were clear. She was finally ready.

Thank God.

He loved the way her skin looked in fire light, as if it was dusted with gold fairy dust. He slowly lowered his head and grazed his lips over hers once, twice, three times, before her lips parted slightly. He delicately ran his tongue over the parted seam between her lips asking for entrance. When she parted her lips more he slowly took the kiss deeper. Miroku felt her tremble and quickly stepped closer to her, closing whatever gap that was left between their bodies. She whimpered into his mouth when his arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her flush up against his body; pulling her to her toes.

Sango sucked in a breath, or tried to, when her nipple was rubbed against the fabric of her gown by his solid chest. Her knees turned to jelly and she had to throw her arms around his neck when all that was holding her up was his arms around her waist.

Miroku finally broke off the kiss as the need for air could no longer be ignored. He brought a hand up and ran a thumb over her bottom lip before bending down and swinging her legs up.

He carried her over to the bed then.

Placing her gently in the middle of his four-poster bed he gently tugged on one of the thin straps of her nightgown.

"I'd like to take this off of you now, if that's alright," he whispered huskily.

Sango connected eyes with him before nodding.

"Alright."

He ran one long finger softly down her arm to her hand, then grasping her hand in his he pulled her to a sitting position. He leaned down, grabbed the hem of the fabric, and pulling it out from under her, he slowly pulled it over her head. He watched as her long hair settled back around her shoulder, some locks coming to rest over her exposed breast.

Miroku gently pushed her hair back over her shoulder behind her back. Then he leaned forward and once more took her mouth with his as he slowly lowered her back down onto her back. Then pulling back a bit he silently looked down her body.

"Beautiful."

Sango could feel her cheeks turn red as she heard what he said. Then she moaned softly when he leaned down and licked her gently behind her ear. He nibbled his way down her neck alternating between gently nipping, kissing, and licking. He softly ran his tongue along her collar bone before continuing downward. She sighed when he kissed over the top of her breast then gently nipped the peak with his teeth.

She sucked in an audible breath then shuddered when he licked the nipple with the flat of his tongue. He gently kissed the underside of her breast before trailing his way back to the top with the tip of his tongue. He flicked at the nipple with his tongue once, twice, three times then slowly sucked the whole thing into his mouth.

Sango's body arched completely off the bed when he suckled her as she groaned deep in her throat. She felt a pull from between her legs when he did the same thing to her other breast. She squeezed her thighs closed as she felt the moisture down there grow. Then they fell open again as he began to move down her stomach. When he dipped his tongue into the cavern of her bellybutton her hips lifted toward him of their own accord.

Sango's head thrashed back and forth as Miroku moved further down over her body. She gave another small whimper as his tongue ran over her abdomen.

Miroku gently pushed her thighs open so he could settle between them. He sat up and removed his shirt before leaning back down to worship her body with his mouth and hands. He licked and kissed his way across her flesh as he explored her secrets with his fingers.

He could believe how wonderful her skin tasted. He couldn't get enough of her. He quickly unbuttoned and unzipped his pants while he grazed the smooth skin on the inside of her thighs with his teeth. He breathed in her scent as he moved closer to his goal.

When he came to the apex between her legs again he buried his nose in the soft hairs there.

Sango moved to close her legs when she felt his warm breath so close to her.

Miroku was dying. He desperately wanted to taste her she was so close. Her scent was intoxicating, but he knew she wasn't ready for that lesson. He knew he shouldn't do what he wanted to do, but he could resist a small taste.

"MIROKU!"

Sango screamed when she felt moist heat against her. She shuddered violently as her hips lifted from the bed. Her body was on fire she was so hot. She could feel something building within the pit of her stomach as she moaned. Sango wasn't sure how much more of it she could take.

Miroku, slowly kissing and licking her abdomen as he gently eased in a finger. He quickly moved up her body to nip at her lips as he moved within her. When he felt her body was getting use to him he added another.

"**AHHHHHH!"**

Miroku paid homage to her breast as he added another digit. His hand mimicking the age old dance his body was longing to perform with hers. He could feel her moving closer and closer to the edge.

He moved up next to her head.

"Let go Sango. I have you," he whispered gently to her.

And in the next moment he watched her shatter and release around him.

He thrust his tongue between her swollen lips, kissing her possessively. Playing with her tongue with his own he coaxed her to follow his into his mouth as he finished undressing. He released her mouth to finish the job before moving back to her.

Sango pulled him down against her as she wrapped her arms around his neck to thoroughly kiss him back. Flesh meeting flesh. She squirmed from the touch of his skin against hers then trembled as he brought her to the peak again.

This time he kept her there as he played her body and ravaged her mouth. Miroku, moving into position, rubbed his hands up and down her sides, along the sides of her breasts, before settling them on her behind.

Another area he planned to thoroughly go over next time.

He tilted her towards him, holding her up as he rubbed the tip of his length against her.

Miroku stayed absolutely still then as he waited for her to open her eyes and look at him.

Sango whimpered. She could feel him sitting at her entrance as she tensed up waiting for him to shove into her. She relaxed after a moment when nothing happened and opened her eyes.

Brown locked with purple.

She slowly gave him a nod and at the same moment he slowly slid inside. Sango flinched from the sharp pain and held her breath. She began to breathe again a moment later when the pain ebbed.

Miroku sat very still. He was buried to the hilt inside her heat. He had to gather himself before he disgraced himself and finished before her. He couldn't believe he was finally where he wanted to be. After a few shuttering breaths he ran a hand down her left leg to the knee and bent it around his waist.

Catching on, Sango moved her other leg into place around him and sucked in a trembling breath when he sank further into her. Sango arched up then. She couldn't believe the pleasure she got from having him there.. She undulated against him.

At her movements Miroku figured she'd had enough time to get use to him and began to move slowly. He kept up like that for a while before speeding up his movements with her moans.

Sango moved her body to meet his at every stroke. Soon they built a rhythm all their own. She could feel that delicious feeling growing inside her again as his body worshiped hers.

"Miroku…" she moaned as she arched into him.

Miroku shuttered then. He loved the way she'd said his name just then. He moved in a way to get her to say it again. As he slowly made love to her he could feel her body tensing below him and began to alternate between long slow strokes and short fast ones. Then one fast long stroke, pushing deep into her, and watch her cry out as she, once again, shattered around him.

Miroku groaned as her inner muscles squeezed around him as he continued to make love to her. He gave one hard push and then shuddered his release

"SANGO!"

Sango wrapped her arms around him as he collapsed against her. She rubbed his back as his breathing returned to normal. He gently pulled out of her and Sango flinched lightly from the sudden feel of emptiness.

Miroku rolled to her side before gathering her to him. His mind was boggled. That was the best intercourse he'd ever had. He couldn't remember ever feeling with anyone the way he'd felt with her.

"Sango?" he called softly to her where her head was settled against his chest. "Sango, are you okay?"

He waited a moment for a reply, then looked down when he decided she wasn't going to answer him.

He lifted his head and tilted it slightly to get a look at her face. He blinked at what he saw.

Sango was fast asleep with a soft smile across her face.

Miroku rubbed a finger along her cheek before reaching over to cover them with the blankets. He kissed the tip of his finger then and rubbed it over her swollen lips.

'_His wife.'_ He was married now. Miroku had one fleeting thought that he didn't think it would be too bad being stuck with just one woman for the rest of his life if it was Sango that he was stuck with, before Morpheus came to pull him away as well.

_To be continued…_

Duchess: Okay! I think that went well...

Fang: You do?

Duchess: Of course! Why wouldn't I?

(Fang points to something behind her)

Duchess: (turning to look) Sesshou-kun?Whats he doing?

Fang: I think he's... he's... (eyes widening nervously) oh, yea hes getting Tokijin.

Duchess:** WHAT? WHY?**

Shippou: He doesn't like the chapter! I think hes upset that he only got a small peck from Kagome... (giggles) Even Inuyasha got more of a kiss from clay-pot!

(Inuyasha laughing as he points at his brother)

Duchess: Stop it Shippou-chan.Shut up Inuyasha!Cl-I mean, Kikyo is ALIVE in this story! Be nice! (smiles sheepishly at Kikyo) Besides, this is Miroku and Sango's story! (backing up away from Sesshou, who has started to move towards Duchess)

Miroku: I think it was one of your best chapters yet, Lady Duchess!

Duchess: (rolls eyes)

Sango: (face red from embarrassment) SHUT UP, HENTAI!

!SMACK! (she clobbers him)

Miroku: ()

Duchess: Besides, its not bliss in paradise yet... (stil backing up) Now, Sesshou-kun... Lets be reasonable.

Sesshoumaru: (arches a brow, but keeps moving forward)

Duchess: Now remember, the pen is mightier then the sword Sesshou! Well... in this case the finger... I could have made you celibate!

Sesshoumaru's eyes harden.

Duchess: (swallowing) Okay, I didn't mean that! You know I would never-AHH! (screams as Sesshou lunges for her)

(Duchess quickly shifts out of the way and throws a spark of lightening over her shoulder at the Demon Lord)

Duchess:SESSHOUMARU! You really should be going after Fang you know! (running away from Sesshou as she yells over her shoulder)He is my muse!

Fang: HEY! DON'T BLAME ME!

Duchess: Well its true! And why does it ALWAYS have to be me running for my life!

Kagome: (sitting on the couch next toInuyasha) Well, you shouldn't provoke him Duchess.

Duchess: (still running in circles around the room) I didn't do anything!

Inuyasha: Feh! I think he just likes taking Duchess upstairs!

(everybody comes to halt; even Duchess and Sesshou stop running)

blink

blink

Kagome: Shut up Inuyasha! (trying not to giggle) You've gone almost a whole day without me having to 'sit' yo-

!thump!

Kagome:...oh. (smiling sheepishly) Sorry, Inu-chan.

Inuyasha: Feh!

(everything resumes: Sesshou continues chasing Duchess)

Duchess:Ahh! You really should get a hobby Sesshoumaru!

Sesshoumaru: I have one. Can't you figure out what it is Duchess?

(Duchess heads towards the steps then thinking about a quote she remembered from a movie about the girl running up the steps when she should be going out the door; quickly makes a sharp turn and flys out the door)

Duchess:BYE!SEE YOU LATER HOPE YOU LIKE THE CHAPPIE! (slams door in Sesshou-kuns face)

Kikyo: Well... that was eventful...(watches as Sesshou gets door open and runs out)Why does she even bother running...

Everyone:SHUT UP KIKYO!


	8. Where It All Began

**Disclaimer:** Hellloo, I am Rumiko Takahashi! I was bo- oh alright! I own nothing dammit!

THANK YOU to my betas **Wendy**, **Deborah**, and **Jess**! You guys are wonderful! And another thank you to Deborah for supplying me with the quote.

"_Understanding is a three-edged sword.  
__There is your side, there side, and the truth."  
Excerpt from__Babylon 5 "Koshism"_

Book I: The Feud: A Marriage Made In Heaven.

Chapter 8: Where It All Began.

Sango's eyes flew open as she suddenly came awake. She stayed absolutely still as she tried to figure out what exactly had awakened her. She could feel the heat of her husband's body against her back and the solid, yet pleasant feel of his arm along her waist. The new sensation of waking with someone in her bed would have been something she'd lay and mull over to decide if she liked the strange feeling or not, but something was disturbing her.

Her body was tense all over and she could feel the hairs on the back of her neck standing with apprehension, but she didn't have a clue as towhy.

The only time she ever felt this way was when she'd had a _virtual_ _dream _

When she was really bothered by a vision or it turned out to be something that was important or hit close to home she'd somehow _experience_ the vision as if she were truly there and not as if she was a bystander watching from the sidelines like usual. They usually left her feeling anxious and a little on edge and they _always_ happened while she slept. That's why her grandmother had dubbed those visions virtual dreams..

She turned slowly to look over her shoulder to look at Miroku, not wanting to wake him with too much movement. Sango smiled when she saw he was still sleeping like a baby. Quietly, she removed his arm from around her then slowly slid from the bed. She grabbed her nightgown from the floor then made her way to the bathroom.

She always thought better in the shower.

Closing the bathroom door behind her, she never noticed the pair of purple eyes watching her from the bed.

oooo

Kagome sighed as she turned on to her left side. She'd only just switched to her right ten minutes ago. She couldn't sleep. There was something bothering her, keeping her awake. Not that that part mattered now, since it was time to get up anyway.

For some reason she couldn't get the vision of a woman's face out of her mind. She could see the large brown eyes, high cheekbones, and arched eyebrows as if she was staring into a mirror. The woman's face was not the most beautiful, but there was such sadness in her eyes that it was not easily forgotten.

There was also the fact that the woman could easily be mistaken for someone of her own family. The resemblance to herself and her sisters was unmistakable. Yet, she was sure she'd never seen the woman before. Kagome tried to remember the rest of her dream. The whys, how's, and what's of it, but all that came back to her was the woman's face.

Kagome sighed finally and shrugged it off as she sat up in bed. She threw her legs over the side then moved towards the bathroom. She was sure that if it was of any importance then it would come back to her sooner or later… and definitely _after_ a shower.

She exhaled softly as she leaned her head back along the edge of the tub. That was the best way to start a morning if you asked her. A bath. She hummed as she slid deeper into the water.

She'd needed this.

oooo

The events of last night had continued to play over and over in her mind that it had taken a while for her to get to sleep; and then it had only lasted for a few hours before she was back up.

Even now, Kikyo couldn't explain what Inuyasha had done to her last night, but she vowed she'd never let him get close enough to her to do it, whatever _it_ was, a second time.

…"_What will it take for you to trust me?"…_

Golden eyes stared at her when she shut her eyes for a moment. How he'd broken down her walls so completely? She had no idea. Kikyo could barely remember the times when she'd been as vulnerable as she'd been last night. She had to make sure he never got a chance to do whatever he'd done to her last night again.

Granted she hadn't at the time thought he'd disliked her that much, but it was obvious to her now that she needed to protect herself when around him. If she could, she would drag Kagome with her everywhere, but she couldn't do that… and besides, this was her fight not her baby sisters'.

…_She watched as those unusual colored eyes studied her. She wondered what he was seeing as he seemed to dissect her every feature. She worried, because she had the sinking feeling that he saw what others usually didn't see or bother to look for. He saw _her_… and for some reason that revelation sent an apprehensive streak down her spine. _

"_I know you don't; not yet."_

"_I'm not sure. No one has ever asked before."…_

She couldn't believe she'd said that, but for some reason she'd felt the need to be completely honest with him. Not that Kikyo was a liar. She usually couldn't do it very well, since she knew what it felt like to lie, she always had a trouble doing it, so usually she didn't bother with. The little rise in blood pressure and breathing was always a dead give away. Not to mention the little self conscious, guilty feeling was always a dead give away in others. She didn't much care for the feeling in herself. Besides, she'd learned that the truth always found its way out.

The question she kept asking herself, which caused all her thoughts to not add up, was: why was he so nice to her?

Why'd he treat her so nicely, even go as far as to _kiss_ her, when he wanted to hurt her?

…"_Then let's start here."_

_Next thing she knew his lips were softly touching hers. Kikyo had immediately gone stiff with shock and not a little bit of fear. Then he'd done something with his hands and her body had shook as a wave of something new had shot through her. _

_She was surprised at the softness of his lips; he was so hard everywhere else._

_When something moist moved across her lips she'd gasped in surprise only to soon find his tongue in her mouth. The effect was surprising. She'd never imagined that something that seemed so… disgusting could feel so _nice._ Kikyo felt a burning begin in the pit of her stomach and slowly spread throughout her body pushing a moan deep from within her throat. She slowly melted against him as her heart beat faster in her chest. The feeling of her breast against him caused them to react in an unfamiliar way sending another shock wave of feeling through her._

_The force of it shook her to her core. Her mind spun as she tried to understand what her body was telling her.…_

Not that she wanted to think about the kiss, because she didn't. In fact, she'd already forgotten all about it!

…_His arms had fell from her waist and she'd felt immediately cold and alone. She could feel everything everyone who'd witnessed the kiss was feeling. Her walls had seemed to have fallen and she'd begun to panic as she tried to figure out how it happened as well as put them back up. Her father was so angry and everyone's concern and curiosity was suffocating her. _

_With all her strength she pushed what was going on around her focused on her walls liked she'd been taught. Methodically she built them back up. Then she finally looked at Inuyasha, as he was the one person she hadn't looked at when she'd pulled away from him. _

_She could feel and see his concern, but mostly she could feel his insecurity and his guilt. Kikyo hadn't expected that to hurt so much, but it did. She needed to get out of there and away from him._

_He didn't mean to or want to kiss her._

"_Goodnight," she nodded to her family and the guests still in the room. And after a moment to collect herself, while she stared at Inuyasha, she said the same to him._

"_Goodnight Inuyasha."_

_Kikyo all but ran from the room then.… _

She couldn't believe she could be so wrong about someone. It was not like her. When she had a feeling about someone she was usually right since that feeling was usually based on the other persons own feelings and character. She'd been sure that he would never intentionally hurt her.

How could she be so wrong?

Then again, maybe she wasn't wrong. Perhaps he hadn't done it intentionally. She didn't know; she was so confused. And it didn't help matters that that queasy feeling she had experienced in her stomach last night returned every time she thought about him and pictured him in her mind.

Kikyo frowned slightly as she lathered herself down. Slowly she got to her feet as she grabbed her towel from the hook on the wall. Wrapping it around her she stepped out of the tub. She was a little worried that she was having so much trouble understanding what was going on inside herself to the point where she didn't notice the walls she'd worked so hard to make coming down. That wasn't a good or encouraging sign.

She needed her walls. There was no way she could go beyond the palace walls without them.

Kikyo had to hold onto them at all cost. And that meant keeping her distance from Inuyasha.

oooo

Sango hummed as she stood under the hot spray of the shower. The warmth felt good to her body as it soothed aches and pains in muscles in _places_ she didn't know had muscles. But, after recent activities their existence could no longer be ignored.

She tilted her face upwards to allow the water to rain down on her as she rinsed the soap from her long locks. After lathering herself down one last time she turned off the water and stepped out of the tub. Sango turned to grab a towel from behind her before turning back around towards the mirror on the wall.

Securing the towel between her breast she swiped the surface of the mirror with her hand to clean the steam from it so she could see a clearer image of herself. Sango looked up to study her reflection then. She leaned closer to get a better look then froze.

'_Wha-'. _Something wasn't right with her image. It was strange, but the eyes weren't right. They weren't… right. They were too dark, and too big, and too_… 'Blink?'_

Did the mirror just _wink_ at her?

"What was that?"

Sango leaned closer as she spoke her confusion aloud. Then the reflection blinked again.

She nearly leaped out of her skin as she tried to get as far from the mirror as quickly as possible.

A woman's face was staring back at her; and it wasn't her own.

Sango stared wide eyed at the image in front of her as she clutched nervously at her towel. After a few moments, when it looked like all the woman was going to do was watch her (and _not_ go away), Sango began to relax slightly.

She found herself studying the woman's face. There was something familiar about her. There was no denying that the woman bore a resemblance to her, but now that Sango was getting a good look at the other woman, she could tell that they weren't as close in looks as she'd first assumed from a glance. As she noted before, the woman's eyes were much wider and darker then her own. She had high cheek bones and skin a smooth alabaster white. Her hair was a midnight black that seemed to hang straight pass her shoulders. While she was not what Sango would call 'beautiful', she had an elegant beauty to her that made her at least lovely to look at and perhaps unforgettable.

"What are you?" asked Sango with a swallow.

She watched as the image in the mirror lifted an eyebrow at her. Sango got the impression that she took exception to the word 'what'.

"Um. _Who_ are you?"

The woman tilted her head as she regarded the younger woman in front of her.

"You don't remember."

It was not a question. Sango was the one to raise an eyebrow this time. Remember? What was it Sango was suppose to be remembering?

"It dictates your future, but you do not know its past," the woman continued. "If you are to stop it, you must learn, you must see. You, who can see both the past and the future of others but not her own. You live my future, you shall see my past, and with it, the truth. The Eye shall see, the Heart shall feel, and the Body shall heal. Only the eye, the heart, and the body, together, can stop it."

Sango had stared in shock when the image had continued to speak and she'd realized the woman had been talking about her ability to not only see the future or, at least, one possibility of a future, but her ability to see the past as well. That realization was enough to shut her up, but as the woman continued Sango just became confused. She had no idea what the woman in the mirror was talking about anymore.

"Stop what?" asked Sango. Taking an unconscious step closer to the mirror she tilted her head in question. "What are you talking about?"

"First, learn the past or you shall repeat it."

"Repeat what?" she asked taking another step closer.

"You shall see," answered the woman as she slowly began to fade.

"What?"

Realizing the image was leaving Sango began to feel a little anxious. Something in her was screaming to find out exactly what the woman was talking about. She had the unexplainable feeling it was important.

And she couldn't shake the feeling that the woman was giving her a kind of warning. Question was: a warning about what?

"WAIT! I don't understand what your trying to tell me! _What_ will be repeated? How do you know about my visions? Who are you?"

Sango was almost shouting at the mirror by the last question. She was feeling a bit a desperate and not just a bit panicky. Who was this woman and how did she know about her? And if she knew about her did she know about her sisters too?

"I gave it to you. A gift, to help you here after."

The image of the woman was almost gone completely, but she could still here the low husky sound of her voice very well. Almost as if she was still in the mirror, even though Sango could no longer see her.

But, what she heard was not what she'd expected.

'_What did she mean she gave me a gift? What gift?'_ Then she stilled. Could the woman be referring to her visions? But, it didn't make any sense. How could she have _given_ her the visions? It wasn't possible. She was sure she'd never seen the woman before. And why was she standing here talking to a woman in a mirror, who hadn't been there before now, and actually believing what the woman was saying? Sango wasn't sure which was worse; the mirror talking or her talking to the mirror.

But. There was no getting around the fact the woman knew about her secret. Even her father didn't know she could see the past as well. Who was this woman? She had a feeling, from her words earlier, that _'was'_ was the operative word too.

"WHO ARE YOU?" Sango yelled at the mirror though she wasn't expecting to get a response. The woman had already left.

She was just about to turn away from the mirror when it began to change. Her eyes widened as she watched in shocked fascination as a name was spelled out in kanji, the old script, on the mirrors' surface.

Sango slowly reached out her hand and gently touched the mirror with her fingertips, touchingthe writing. She just had to be sure she was really seeing what she thought she was seeing. As she slowly ran a fingertip along the writing she spoke the name aloud.

"Midoriko."

And then with a slight jolt her body slid silently to the floor, as if being gently placed there, as her world went dark.

oOo

Her eyes popped open.

Sango slowly sat up and took a cautious look around her. She was sitting in a large grassy field with flowers of different colors around her. She could here a rushing sound coming from somewhere to her left which gave her the impression that there was probably a stream of some sort not to far away. Looking over her shoulder she could see nothing but open field.

Suffice to say; she was no longer in her bathroom.

Sango could feel the moisture from the grass seeping through her towel. _'Towel?'_ She looked down at herself then. However she came to be in the strange place she'd come in only her bath towel.

Where was she? And more importantly; how did she get here?

She quietly stood to her feet as she held a tight grip to her towel. The air was heavy there and there was a light mist hovering about three inches above the ground. The sky had a grayish tint to it like that of an autumn morning after it had rained the entire night. The fresh smell of wet grass with an underlining taste of sweetness hung on the light breeze.

There were a line of trees in front of her not far in the distance, but looking behind her, there was only an open field full of flowers stretching as far as the eye could see

She'd seen this place before.

Sango wasn't sure when or where, but she knew she'd been there before. When she turned around, she caught the sight of a figure entering the tree line in the distance. She only paused a moment before moving to follow the person.

"HELLO!" she screamed out to get the other persons attention,

No one seemed to have heard her though. Sango had hoped that the person would have heard her; she hadn't been that far away from them. But, no one stopped or turned back towards her, in fact, she could no longer see the person she was sure she'd seen walk into the forest.

Sango slowed down as she reached the tree line. As she crept slowly into the forest she kept her eyes and ears peeled for any unusual sounds or sights. Spotting a small almost invisible dirt trail leading through the trees, she decided to follow it rather then roam around, what looked to be a very large forest, alone.

Sango had been walking for about five minutes and hadn't seen anything that looked remotely like humans or youkai anywhere. The wind had picked up a bit and she knew she should be feeling cold or at least a chill, but in truth she could feel nothing. It was as if the wind was just there to be seen and not felt. For show.

She was beginning to get bored and tired and was debating turning back around and going back to where she'd started when she heard a sound.

Sango stopped dead and tilted her head to the side to see if she could hear it again and maybe determine where it was coming from. She frowned as the sound wrung through the air again. It sounded like laughter. And it was coming from her left.

Quickly she headed in the direction of the laughter. She could faintly hear the sound of water again, and as the sound increased she knew she was going in the right direction.

Sango walked through the trees and soon they opened up to reveal a small clearing. It was in the shape of a perfect circle hidden within the trees. There were the same flowers on the ground there as there were back in the field she'd awakened up in. It was a very beautiful place… and apparently a very private one. On the other side of the small meadow, was a river that ran through the forest. Sango could see that on the opposite side of the river there were trees that extended in all directions.. It seemed that the only way to reach this place was to know where itwasor somehow come down the river.

Sango walked further into the clearing as she clutched her towel tighter to her chest. She stooped down and picked a flower from the ground. It was a silly curiosity that stemmed from her childhood fascination with flowers of all kinds; and she'd never seen flowers of quite that shade of pink and orange before. Pressing the flower to her nose, she inhaled it's sweet scent. She was starting to believe the place was real when she finally noticed them.

They were standing in the shade of a tree. The man had his large back pressed firmly against the tree while he held the woman secure in his arms. It was the same woman from the mirror, but this time it was _all _of her and not just her head and shoulders. Sango could see now that her long dark hair fell past her waist and with her coloring she held more then just a mere resemblance to the Higurashi daughters.

Sango found herself wondering, once again, who she was.

_Midoriko._

She could hear the name whisper through her mind as if someone was answering her unspoken question. But the name didn't even begin to answer her question, because she had never heard the name before, so it held no significance or meaning for her..

Her eyes shifted to the man behind the young woman then. Sango froze Her eyes went wide as they locked on to crimson orbs. The flower fell from her fingers, drifting silently to the ground, unobserved.

She knew that face.

Granted she'd never seen the face in person for he'd died long before she was born, but she'd seen his portrait enough to know the face. Besides, her father was almost an exact replica of this man.

"Hiouji-san?" she whispered softly; not knowing she spoke aloud.

Sango watched in confusion as the woman turned her head to look up at the man holding her before turning her gaze to Sango. Quietly the woman removed herself from the man's arms and moved in her direction. Sango shook slightly from the sudden chill in the air or nerves, she didn't know, as she stood her ground and waited.

Who was this woman and why was she in the arms of her great-grandfather? She wasn't her great-grandmother, because Sango did not recognize her. Then again, did her great-grandfather even have a mate? Sango wasn't sure for she couldn't recall ever seeing a picture of a mate of her hiouji-san or, for that matter, ever here anyone speak of a mate.

But, he must have had one. How else could her grandfather have come to exist? Right?

Sango crossed her arms in front of her to ward off the chill in the air as the woman came to astop in front of her. She had no idea why the air had taken a drastic change in temperature, but that was the least of her worries. What the hell was going on?

"I am Midoriko," spoke the woman in a soft voice. "It is time for the truth to finally be known. They have forgotten me, but you shall be the first to remember and through you so shall the others." She sighed heavily then and looked down at her hands. "Perhaps with the truth four hundred years of killing will come to an end. I am so tired, so very tired."

"What truth?" Sango didn't know where she'd gotten the gumption to speak, but there it was.

"There is only one truth, my child." Gently she reached up to place a palm on Sango's forehead. Sango tried hard not to shy away from the ice cold touch. "And you shall know it."

Then Sango saw a bright white light coming from beneath Midoriko's palm before her world went dark and with a soft sigh she fell gently to the ground once more. Her body came to a rest along side the flower she'd picked only moments before.

"Are you sure about this, koi?" asked the man from behind the woman as his eyes rested on the great-granddaughter he never had a chance to know. He couldn't help noting how beautiful she was.

"It is time." Midoriko smiled down at the child she'd chosen to be a seer. "She is beautiful, yes?" she could sense the nod her mate gave without turning to actually see it. "You should see the other two. They are just as beautiful."

She waved her hand and the body of the young woman disappeared. Midoriko turned to her mate then.

"The first step has already been made.." she sighed. There was no going back now. "Do you knowthey are married to InuTaisho's sons."

"What?" he gave her a look mixed with shock and confusion. "How?"

"I don't know," she sighed for that had been worrying her as well. "It was not my doing. All I know is that the Emperor made some sort of decree, not that I trust that… we shall see. She knows the truth now. All she has to do is remember it and the second step will be finished."

He nodded in agreement. It was time to bring it to anend. He, too, was ready to rest.

"It is all my fault. They've fought for so long that none, except for one, still remain and know what truly happened."

He placed a clawed finger beneath her chin and lifted her eyes to his. He would never get tired of looking into the eyes of the woman he loved. He had his life time, no matter how short it was, and now he had eternity to continue looking.

"You are not responsible for what he did."

"No, but it was my duty to obey him. He was my father. I'd known it all my life. But, in the end I did not obey and someone I cared about… someone we _both_ cared about, was hurt."

"I know, love. But what could we have done. No one would listen when you tried to stop it."

"I could have done my duty… and you would have forgotten all about me."

"NO!" he pulled her tightly against him then. "You were mine then and you are mine now. There was no other option."

She sighed as she pressed her face to his chest. He was right and she knew it. There was no denying it now and there was no way she could have chosen any other way. There was no changing what had already passed. But, if she had known such a future would have followed their decision she would have tried the other option. She would nothave been ashappy and certain things would not have come to pass, but there would have not been so much death and sorrow.

It was her fault and she was meaning to put it right.

"Its been four hundred years Hiroshi. We've been stuck here for four centuries. I never thought I'd be tired of seeing this place, but I am. I am so tired... so tired of it all."

Hiroshi wrapped his arms around her and sighed. He too was ready to move on. He'd never been very good at standing back and watching from the sidelines, and he'd been watching for a long time.

It was time to act.

oooo

"Sango. Wake up, Sango."

Miroku shook her gently, but soon stopped that when he noticed it was doing any good. He'd watched her leave the bed for the bathroom and had assumed she'd gone to take a bath. He knew she hadn't slept to well through the night, because he'd felt restlessness through the night. Figuring she was probably sore from their activities the night before, he'd decided that it would be best to leave her alone for a while.

He knew if he were in her position he'd be very upset with the person who'd caused him the pain… good reasons or not.

So, he'd pretended to still be asleep. When he'd felt her getting up he took a chance at opening his eyes. That's when he'd seen her entering the bathroom. But, after she'd been in there for an hour an a half and it had been over forty-five minutes since he'd heard anything from the bathroom, he'd begun to worry.

Miroku had called out to her then. And after three time of calling for her and three times of getting no answer he'd decided to go and investigate/ He knew he was possibly setting himself up to be yelled at, but he needed to be sure she was okay.

That's when he'd entered the bathroom to find her lying wrapped in a towel and passed out on the floor.

He'd quickly debated with himself whether he should go get help as he lifted her into his arms and brought her back to the bed. After determining her pulse was still strong and healthy he'd decided to try and wake her himself.

That had been fifteen minutes ago and she still hadn't opened her eyes, though she had moaned one when he'd run a finger along her cheek.

"Come on, love. Open your eyes for me."

He gently rubbed the back of his finger along one side of her face as he gazed down at her. He softly tapped her cheek.

"Sango love, wake up!" he sighed as he heard her groan again. "That's it! Come on Sango. Open your eyes love." He watched as her eyes moved beneath her closed lids then try to flutter open. "Yes. Sango open your eyes. Come on, sweetheart open your eyes for me."

Sango could hear someone calling her name. _Sango love, wake up! _She was sure she knew that voice, but for some reason her head was throbbing something fierce. She tried to open her eyes, but she figured it hadn't worked because the darkness was still there. Then she heard the familiar voice calling to her again. _Come on, sweetheart open your eyes for me._

"Miroku?" she tried calling out to him, but it didn't sound quite how she'd intended to her ears. She tried again to open her eyes.

Miroku watched transfixed as she groaned and fluttered her eyes again. He could sense her pain and wondered at it's extent, but he couldn't ask her until she woke up.

When her eyes gave a full blink he released the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He watched as her chocolate eyes slowly came to focus and rested on his own. He waited a moment longer for her to get her equilibrium back. Miroku watched as her eyes darted around the room as if she was trying to see where she was at before they came back to rest on his face again. Didn't she know where she was?

"Miroku?"

"Hey," he smiled at her then. She was going to be alright. "How are you feeling? It looked as if you had quite a fall in the bathroom."

"Fall?" she gazed at him in confusion as she tried to remember what he was referring to. Sango could remember going to take a shower and she remembered getting out of it. She'd been having a restless night… She shook her head slightly to clear it of the cobwebs as she tried to think.

Miroku saw the look of confusion on her face and gave her a curious one of his own. Didn't she remember what happened? He wondered, again, if she'd possibly knocked her head when she fell. It had been his first worry. He'd rubbed his palm along the back of her head and the sides by her temples and hair line; he hadn't found any lumps or raised skin. He figured it was possible that she may have knocked her head, but no lump had formed yet. He didn't sense that she was in any physicalpain either. Since he didn't hear her fall in the bathroom there was no telling how long she'd been out. So, he guessed the fall could be fairly recent therefore not resulting in a lump yet.

Her body had been on the cold side though and he was sure Sango wasn't in the habit of taking cold showers in the mornings or ever.

Miroku wasn't sure why, but he had the strange feeling she'd been lying on the floor of the bathroom for quite a while. He just had that feeling…

"Sango?"

Sango's eyes focused on his again. She recalled standing in front of the mirror because she was about to brush her hair… but, something had stopped her. Something wi- no. No. Something was _in_ the mirror. _In_ the mirror? Sango frowned at her thoughts. That didn't make since. _Did it?_ No, but it sound right.

Kami-sama,she had a headache!

Sango blinked in concentration when the face of a woman with long dark hair and dark eyes flashed before her eyes. She groaned aloud as shesucked in a breath, for multiple reasons,as it all came back to her then. Sango froze as she remembered what the woman said to her in the mirror and then how she'd somehow ended up in a forest, a forest that seemed very familiar now that she was thinking back on it, and what she'd seen and been told there.

"Midoriko… hiouji-san…."

Miroku leaned closer to hear her whisper, but for the life of him he had no idea what they meant. Didn't the late Lord Higurashi die nearly four hundred years ago? He could have sworn that that was how the story went... And who was Midoriko? He didn't think he'd ever heard the name before.

"San-" he began, but was cut off by her whisper.

"Didn't fall…"

"What?"

"I didn't fall," she clarified as she looked at him. "Somehow, she knocked me out."

"I don't understand Sango. Are you sure your not remembering things wrong? I didn't see anyone come in here and I've been awake since you went into the bathroom." He saw her raise an eyebrow at that, but he continued on before she could ask him anything he wasn't prepared to answer. "It's funny really... now that I think about it, but I never actually heard you hit the floor. In fact, I didn't hear anything."

She could see the question in his eyes as he gazed intently at her. She could also see the worry. _Love_. He'd called her love… Her eyes darted back and forth as she tried to process that revelation and figure out how she could explain to him what had happened in the bathroom without telling him certain other things. Did he mean what he'd called her? Was she his love or was it another endearment that flowed from his lips like water? For everyone and held no special meaning. She wasn't sure what to think on that and she couldn't ask him, because she didn't think she could handle it if his answer was a no. As for what happened in the bathroom; she didn't see how she could tell him the truth without telling him her secret. Sango didn't think he was ready to hear about her gift and she wasn't sure if she was ready to tell him or _how_ to tell him. How do you tell someone that even though both your parents are youkai that for all intents and purposes you yourself was human? How do you tell someone that even though you were human for the most part you still held the sight, agility and hearing of the neko-youkai you were meant to be? And how did you tell them that not only did you acquire a familiar that could change into the youkai form you were meant to be you also had an ability to see not only the future, but things that have also come to pass as well? How did you tell a person all that and expect them to believe you and not think your crazy?

You don't, that's how. Or, at least, not yet.

Besides, it wasn't only her secret to tell. Her sisters had to agree with her because once one brother was told the other two would know very soon after she was sure. They had to agree when the time was right for the Masaharus to know, and that was that.

Until then, it remained a secret.

He watched as her eyes flickered as she debated something to herself then they hardened in resolution when her decision, whatever it was, was made. What was it she didn't want to tell him? Why didn't she want him to know?

"Sango who was in the bathroom?" he asked quietly because he was getting the feeling that maybe someone had been.

"No one," she lied. He watched as a shadow crossed her face. "Nothing happened. I must have tripped on the rushes or something," her eyes pleaded with him to not ask her anymore questions.

He desperately wanted to, but he couldn't deny her plea. He just hoped that whatever it was, she would realize soon that she could trust him with whatever it was. Miroku gave her a small nod and eased back a little giving her room to sit up.

He locked eyes with her then.

"Whenever you're ready to tell me, I'll be here."

Sango sat frozen as she stared back at him. What did she say to that? She couldn't deny she way holding something from him, he already could tell she was. Besides, she'd never been any good at lying. She just gave a small nod.

"I need to get dressed. I have to find Kikyo and Kagome," she said quietly; letting him know she needed him to move so she could get up.

Miroku moved out of her way as he stood from the bed. He watched silently as she got gracefully to her feet and moved towards the closet. Quietly he observed as she pulled on a pair of loose slacks in a light tan color anda dark brown shirt that wrapped around her middle and tied together under her left arm. She deftly pulled her flowing hair up into a messy knot at the back of her head as she slipped her feet into a pair of house slippers.

Sango moved quietly to the door when she finished dressing, but came to a stop before walking out. She turned to look at her husband and found his eyes were already on her. After hesitating for a moment she moved swiftly back to him on quiet feet and raised herself slightly to her toes and placed her mouth on his softly.

Miroku couldn't help but take what she was so sweetly offering. He wasn't that strong. He slowly deepened the kiss as he languidly swept his tongue inside her mouth to touch hers. She was a quick learner he noted as she rubbed her tongue along his in return. He did this twice more before pulling back slightly to endthe kiss. He rubbed his lips along her fuller ones before removing his hands from her shoulders. He didn't remember putting them there.

Sango sighed softly before turning back around and leaving the room quietly. She could feel his eyes on her as she walked out.

oooo

Sango found Kikyo first.

She was where Sango had figured she'd be: the library. If there was at least one thing Kikyo was predictable about it was her fondness for the library. She could always be found snuggled in one of the plush chairs with her feet curled up beneath her, Mala in her lap and a book in her hands.

"Hello nee-chan," said Kikyo quietly; her eyes never leaving her book. Her fingers continued to stroke Mala's spotted fur.

"Jitsumai," sighed Sango as she moved towards her sister. "Thank Kami you're predictable.."

Kikyo's head came up then. Sango never called her that except for two reasons; to annoy her or if something was wrong..

When reaching her sister's sitting figure she immediately dropped herself to the floor and rested her head on her sister's knee. She heard Mala give an indignant mew from behind her head then.

"Sorry Mala." She figured the temperamental feline had forgiven her for usurping her spot on her mistress's lap when she felt a soft boot on the back of her head and a purr from the neko.

Kikyo could feel the emotions coming from her sister in waves. She'd come to the library to think and be alone for a while, but she knew there was no way she could send her sister away when she was feeling so bad. There was so much sadness and confusion coming from Sango it was almost overwhelming. Kikyo could also sense a small bit of fear and a bit of curiosity as well. _Curiosity?_ Now, that had _her_ curious.

She gently shut her book and laid it to the side before placing her hands in Sango's hair. She deftly untied the knot in her hair to let it flow loose so she could stroke her fingers through the long mass. Kikyo knew that Sango was always calmer when someone rubbed there fingers through her hair.

Sango sighed softly as she felt her hair loosened from the nape of her neck and her sister's fingers began to move freely through it. She curled her knees up closer to her as she made herself more comfotable on the carpeted floor. Sango swiped at a lone tear that decided to streak its way down her cheek then.

She was worried and she didn't know what to do.

"Tell me."

Sango heard her sister's whispered request, but didn't begin talking just yet. She was going to; after all it was why she came looking for her. She just didn't want to have to tell the story twice so she was waiting. Sango knew Kagome would be along soon; she always showed up at the right time. She figured it was apart of Kagome's gift; knowing when she was needed.

Kikyo understood her sister's silence. She'd figured Sango would want to wait for Kagome and she was in agreement. Kagome and their mother were always the best ones to go to at times like this, so she was fully in agreement that they should wait for their youngest sibling. Besides, Sango still needed to calm down some more; her emotions were all over the place.

They sat there quietly, one stroking the others hair, as they waited. Nearly five minutes had passed when Kagome came rushing into the room, haircoiled in a thick braid flyingbehind her.

"Ki, is anything wrong?" she said as she was coming through the doorway. "I felt you…"

Kagome trailed off as she stopped just inside the door to take in the scene before her. Kikyo was curled up in the large arm chair that she liked best in the library and Sango was curled at her feet on the floor with her head resting on Kikyo's bent knees. Kikyo was lightly stroking Sango's hair and she couldn't decide which one of them looked more in pain. She knew that at such close range Kikyo wouldn't be shielding herself from Sango, besides she rarely shielded herself from her sisters when they were alone.

"Oh, Sango…" she sighed as she moved towards them.

Kagome took seat on the floor beside Sango and took one of her hands in her own. She brought her knees up to her chest as she rested her other arm across them to pillow her head.

"I'm here now. Tell us."

After a few moments of quiet Sango told them everything. She told them about her conflicting emotions about Miroku's feelings for her. She told them of the dream she couldn't remember. And then she told them about the face in the bathroom mirror and what had happened after she touched the name that had been written across the surface.

They all sat in stunned silence as they each tried to process what she'd just told them.

"Are you sure you weren't just dreaming Sango? Or maybe you hit your head when you fell?"

"I don't dream that well, Kags," sighed Sango. "The thing is, the whole thing had the feel of one of my visions yet, different somehow. And the forest," she added as she lifted her head from her sister's lap, "it was familiar, like I had seen it before, but I know I haven't been outside of the castle walls since we were children."

They stared into one another's eyes for a moment, then Kagome gave a slight nod of her head as if coming to a decision, then looked up towards Kikyo. If what Sango was saying was true, then….she didn't know.

"What do you think Ki?"

"She believes what she is saying."

"I know that," she frowned at her sister. This was not a time for jokes. "What do you think of it? Do you think it's possible?"

Kikyo sighed then and focused her hazel eyes on the fire in the far wall.

"Anything is possible, jitsumai. You said the woman mentioned four hundred years of killing right?" She waited for Sango's nod in agreement before continuing, "Then it sounds to me like she could be talking about the fight between our family and the Masaharus, no? I believe it's been about the same amount of time. Now that I think about it, do either of you know what started the fight between our family and theres?"

They both shook their heads in the negative. There father had never said one way or another.

"Exactly. All we've ever been told is that it has to do with that strip of land between our two territories. Is there anyone who can tell us? I wonder if any of them even know..."

"I think jii-chan may know. I have a feeling he's always known. Question is; will he tell us?" said Kagome thoughtfully.

"No. Jii-chan isn't the only one who knows. I do as well." Sango looked to both her sisters before continuing, "I think that's what the lady did to me when she touched my forehead and her hand glowed. I could feel the heat from her palm as the light grew. And she said I would be the first to remember the truth. We weren't even born yet, so the only way I could _remember_ something is if she had given me it to remember."

Kikyo nodded as she adopted a pensive look. "So we wait and see what you learn and then we go to Jii-chan and we move from there."

"But, I have no idea when this truth is going to be revealed to me. What if its not for a long time?"

"Then we go to Jii-chan first."

"How will we get him to talk to us?" asked Kagome thoughtfully.

"Simple. We let him think he's telling us something we already know."

"Okay…" she waited a heart beat for Kikyo to elaborate before asking the obvious. "And how do we do that?"

"We give him something that apparently no one else seems to know; her name. Midoriko. She did say that everyone had forgotten her, but maybe Toutousai-san hasn't. If we know her, the one who seems to have been there four hundred years ago, then we must know everything else right? Besides, I doubt we'll have to resort to that. I don't think it will be long before Sango will remember."

Sango and Kagome exchanged looks before Sango laid her head back down on Kikyo while Kikyo returned her gaze to the fire.

"You really saw hiouji-san?" asked Kagome after a few minutes with a hint of wonder in her voice.

"Yes," smiled Sango. "He had his hair in the high ponytail like in his portrait and his eyes were as crimson as father's are. He didn't have the scar on his cheek that father said heacquired not toolong before his death, and he looks a lot like father without it. It was weird to see him not in a portrait, but nice."

All three of them sat quietly as they thought back on what Sango had learned and what it could possibly mean. Kikyo was wondering what the woman meant when she told Sango that only the Eyes, the Heart and the Body can protect them. What could she be talking about? And if it wasn't the land that had started them fighting why were they fighting over it now? It never did make any sense to her.

"He called me 'love'."

Kikyo and Kagome exchanged glances before focusing on there sister's whispered confession. What could possibly be wrong with that? They both knew who _"he"_ was.

"Isn't that a good thing nee-chan?" asked Kagome softly as she rubbed her thumb over Sango's knuckles.

"It would be, if I didn't think he called every woman by the name. It means nothing to him. I also think I hurt him this morning when I didn't tell him what had happened in the bathroom. But, how can I tell him that withoutexplaining my visions too? I'm not sure if I trust him… and he knows it."

"Oh Sango…" breathed Kagome as she squeezed her hand.

Kikyo could feel her sister's pain over this and knew that she was hurting so much because she wanted to believe Miroku, but was afraid to. She and Kagome shared another look while Sango had her eyes closed. They both had been on the receiving end of Miroku's charms, but neither of them had been called 'love' by the lecher. They knew that it was only for Sango, but they couldn't explain that to her. Not yet. Sango wasn't in a mood to believe them and they knew in this case only Sango could help Sango. She had to find her reason to believe in him for herself. No one could give her that.

She continued to stroke Sango's hair while she allowed herself to share her sister'spain. She could feel Kagome using her miko powers to soothe Sango's aura as she sat holding her hand. Neither one of them had ever been in love before, so they had no advice to offer her. Instead they gave Sango what they could and hoped she had the strength within her to get what she needed on her own.

Perhaps it was time Sango went to their mother…

oOo

**Hiouji-san:** great-grandfather (respectful)

**Jitsumai:** younger sister


	9. Learning to Trust

**Disclaimer**: Nothing to see here… Keep moving, keep moving!

**A/N:** Sorry for the LOOOONNNNGGGG delay everyone. This HUGE block just came out of nowhere… and WAM! I couldn't remember where this story was going… the other 2 Books are coming along better then this one. But, we're back on track!

Chapter 9: Learning to Trust

Kagome and Kikyo watched quietly as Sango abruptly stood and left the room. They exchanged worried looks, but didn't bother to stop her. Sango had to find her own reasons to trust her husband… they all did.

"I wish we could help her…" whispered Kagome sadly.

Kikyo silently agreed.

ooo

Sango walked with her head down as she made her way to her parent's bedroom in the east wing. Aioki, their mother's personal maid, had told her that her mistress was still in her bedroom so that's where Sango was headed.

She needed to talk to her mother.

Sango knew she was in love with her husband, but she also knew she didn't trust him. Her marriage already had enough problems and keeping her secret was going to cause more. She and her sisters had already come to terms with the fact that they would have to share there secret with there husbands sooner or later, but Sango had never imagined it would prove to be this difficult… or this painful.

She had come to discover that she didn't like lying to Miroku and it only made her feel worse since she felt like she _couldn't _tell him the truth.

There seemed to be no middle ground for them. She doubted her marriage would survive if it continued the way it was going.

She stopped in the doorway to her parent's bedroom as she silently observed her mother.

Her thick mass of fiery hair was pulled back into a loose tail at the nape of her neck. She wore a simple morning dress in a deep blue color that flattered her complexion without taking away from the fierce red of her hair. She stood at the large bay window with her back to the doorway, and therefore, to her daughter. Her pointed ears twitched every now and then, which told Sango her mother knew she was standing there, though Atsuki never turned to look at her.

Atsuki stared out the window, for all intents and purposes, but she saw nothing. Her mind was on her daughters; especially Sango, whom, she knew, was standing behind her. She'd figured her daughter would be coming to see her sooner or later, but in all honesty she had no idea what to tell Sango.

She understood very well the situation her daughters were in, and her heart went out to them, but she didn't know how she could help them. Atsuki had never been in a situation like the Emperor had put her daughters in and while she wanted to be able to help them she wasn't sure if she could.

Her girls were each very bright and giving women. They had grown up in troubled times and because of that she and her husband may have went a bit overboard in their protection of them. They were all special in many ways, not just in their unusual abilities, and Atsuki had wanted to make sure they had a chance at a different life, a safer life, then the one she and there father had to live. She didn't want them to have to fight for everything they wanted or deserved over something that happened long before they were even a thought in Atsuki's mind, much less born.

They deserved better then that.

'_Was there anyone alive who even _remembered_ what started the fighting in the first place?'_ She wondered if Toutousai-san could answer that question for her. She would have to remember to ask the next time she saw him.

Atsuki really couldn't say one way or the other whether it was a bad idea forcing them to marry the Masaharu sons. She didn't know a whole lot about the boys and what she had seen of them hadn't been bad as bad as she might have thought. She had been friends with Masaharu InuTaisho when she was a girl and she really couldn't imagine him bringing his sons up to be nasty and cruel. All the children looked really well together and she felt that if they had the courage (and the mind) to ignor their parents and the past and form their own opinions of each other this little experiment of the Emperor's just might work for everyone involved.

But, it wasn't going to be easy. Her daughters were going to have to learn to trust the very people they were brought up not to. Is it any wonder they were having so much trouble?

And Sango most of all.

Her eldest daughter's gift would prove useless to Sango, because her baby couldn't see her own future; only the future of others. Sango would have to rely on herself to get her through her marriage. For once her baby would have to trust in her own judgment.

'_Perhaps it wasn't a good idea to have Sango wed first.'_ She pressed her fingertips to her temples as she felt a ache starting behind her eyes. In her opinion Kagome would have been better going first, but she was paired with Sesshoumaru and Masaharu had already decided he'd be last. Kikyo needed more time to understand what it would mean to be married to someone and what it meant for her, before she could even begin to make the marriage work, so she definitely didn't need to be first. What happened last night was proof of that and, Atsuki figured, that the scene between her daughter and InuYasha had only made things worse, but it was a first step for Kikyo. She would have to wait and see how her daughter was after the smoke settled. Not that any of this mattered; Sango and Miroku were already married.

"You shouldn't lurk in people's doorways, dear. It's rude." Atsuki turned around and gave her daughter a smile. "Come in."

She silently observed her daughter as she came into the room and over to her. Just from the color of Sango's clothing she knew her daughter wasn't feeling good. Brown was not a color Sango wore often. Then there was the fact her hair was hanging lose. Her Sango preferred to keep her long hair tied back in some way; the fact that it was lose only proved that something was bothering her baby.

Gently she grasped Sango's hand and led her over to a cream colored settee sitting against the wall beside the window. Sitting down, pulling Sango down with her, she situated herself along the arm as she softly ran the pad of her thumbs back and forth along her daughter's knuckles.

"Talk to me, sweetheart. What's bothering you?" she asked softly.

Sango slipped her hands out of her mother's as she wondered how to start. She'd come looking for her mother to talk to her, but she hadn't really thought of what she was going to say before hand. Sango sighed as she shifted positions to lie her head in her mom's lap, bending her knees and curling her feet up so they didn't hang over the edge.

Atsuki gave a surprised start when her head came down to rest in her lap. It had been a long time since Sango had done something like that. She hadn't been expecting the move, but she recovered quickly and began stroking her daughter's hair as she waited patiently for her to begin talking.

Sango snuggled into the touch as she inhaled her mother's familiar scent of vanilla and rain water. "Mama," she tucked her arms around herself, "is it possible to love someone you don't trust?"

Atsuki blinked twice. Out of all the things she'd imagined Sango would say, that wasn't one of them. "Well… yes, it's possible, I would imagine. I would guess it all depends on what type of love you're talking about. I'm sure you would still love your sisters even if something happened to make you not trust them."

"Yes, I would, but that's not what I meant. I meant _in love_; is it possible to be in love with someone you don't trust."

"Hm," she'd figured that's what was bothering Sango: Miroku. "Well, yes it's _possible_. Not a good idea though, but yes, it's very possible."

"_Why? _Why is it possible? It shouldn't be okay to be in love with someone you don't trust!"

"Well sometimes the heart does things for which the mind doesn't understand," she'd read that somewhere. "And no one said it's _okay_; it just _is._ I think that when you love someone, no matter what your mind tells you, your heart still has faith in them and that's why it has no reason not to love them. Your brain deals with facts, but your heart… your heart deals with emotions."

"But, what if your heart's wrong? What do you do then?"

"You deal with it," she sighed, running her hand through Sango's hair. "You don't know when you're wrong until you're proven wrong. You know," gently Atsuki touched a hand to her daughter's chin and turned Sango's gaze in her direction, "that also goes for the mind too," she tapped a finger on Sango's forehead, "it can also be wrong."

Sango's eyes watered. "When do you know?"

"I don't know, baby," she hated the look her answer put in her daughter's eyes. "Sometimes you never really know; sometimes it's an act of faith." _'And sometimes you find out your mind was right at the worst time,'_ she added to herself.

Sango nodded silently as a tear slipped down her cheek. She turned away from her mother then.

"Oh baby," her heart broke as she saw Sango's tears. "Come here, sit up." She helped Sango change positions then wiped at the tears on the younger woman's face before placing a hand under her cheek.

Sango rubbed the back of her hand along her cheeks as she eyed her mother.

"Listen to me," began Atsuki quietly. "I can't tell you to trust your husband; that's up to you alone. What I can tell you is that you can trust your _father _and you can trust me. Your father would have never allowed you and your sisters to marry those boys if he didn't believe they would take care of you guys to his satisfaction," she frowned, "well… to the best of their ablility anyway. I don't think there's any male out there that can take care of you and your sisters good enough to _satisfy_ your father."

Sango gave a watery grin at that. Her father could be a little over-protective.

Atsuki also smiled at the thought of her husband. Many use to say that Onigumo would never take to having only daughters… If only they could see the _"infamous Naraku"_ now, she thought to herself.

"But you know your father…" she continued with a wiery sigh, "he'd take on the Emperor himself to protect his family. So, if he's allowing those boys to be with his girls then I'd stake my life that there's something there. It's up to you to find what that something is."

"What if papa's wrong?"

A fire lit in Atsuki's eyes. "Then your papa will answer to me."

Sango brightened with a smile before placing her forehead on her mother's shoulder.

Atsuki wrapped her arms around Sango in a tight hug. "Okay, no more tears now." She rubbed her back then as Sango sniffled, "That's my girl. You're strong honey. Trust in your own judgment… even if it doesn't seem to make sense. Alright?"

Sango's liquid brown eyes met her mother's blue ones then. After a moment she nodded in agreement. "Thank you, mama."

"You're welcome baby," she smiled.

Sango gave her mom another swift hug before she stood up and headed for the door. Reaching the exit she stopped and turned back to look at her mother.

"Mama?"

Atsuki turned to look at her daughter and arched a brow. She hadn't moved from her position on the settee. "Yes?"

"Do you think I-" she cut herself off with a shake of her head, changing her mind. "Do you listen to your head or your heart more?"

"Me? With _this_ hair?" she laughed silently, "my heart of course. Your father doesn't call me _emotional_ for nothing… but, then I wouldn't be with him if it wasn't for my heart."

Sango tilted her head in question, wanting to know what that last remark meant.

A twinkle lit her eyes as Atsuki shook her head, "I'll tell you when you're older."

"Don't think I'm going to let this one go," answered Sango with a grin.

"I know," she rolled her eyes in feigned exasperation.

Sango really laughed then as she left the room.

Atsuki smiled to herself. Her baby was going to be okay…

ooo

Onigumo stood in front of the large window in his office with his hands clasped at his lower back. The window looked out on the front yard and from it you could see the entire front landscape but also part of the wall in the distance that surrounded the castle.

But, Lord Onigumo's eyes weren't on the landscape or the wall. He was watching the three men dismounting from their horses in front of his home. He watched silently as all three, with the same silvery white hair, adjusted their clothing and moved towards the entrance of his castle. He wondered to himself what had brought Masaharu and his sons to his home so early. Taking out the gold pocket watch he always carried, he gave it a glance before returning it to its original place. Only ten hours had passed since the Masaharus were last in his home.

He narrowed his red eyes as he watched them enter. He had a feeling he was about to learn the answer to his question very soon… and he wasn't going to like it.

If Onigumo had to guess, he figured they were there to ask him about what happened last night. He would ask if it were the other way around, so he couldn't fault them for it. Just what they imagined they'd get out of him, was what he wondered. They must realize if it was something he wanted to tell them he would have done so already, so why bother with asking the questions?

'_Masaharu knows me better then that.'_

As Onigumo waited for his guest to reach his office, his mind drifted back to the day he'd met the three younger Masaharus. He'd seen the satisfied look in Lord Masaharu's eyes when the lord's eldest son had delivered his warning to Onigumo. The fear he'd felt for his youngest daughter had shined in his eyes for a moment and he knew the lord… and possibly his son… had seen it. He also figured they didn't know the reason for that fear. Onigumo was pretty positive they thought the fear was his own. The notion was laughable. There weren't many things in this world he feared and what few things there were Lord Masaharu and his heir wasn't one of them.

The fact that they would even entertain the _thought_, much worse; _believe_ it, was mildly insulting. He would enjoy disabusing them of that belief.

Onigumo worried for his youngest daughter, which is why he was glad she was going last. It would help her to see how well (hopefully) their marriages went before she followed them. He recognized the dominating spirit in the eldest Masaharu son and was sure the pup would make the mistake of trying to dominate his Kagome right from the start. _Huge_ mistake. His daughters, all three of them, had their mother's fighting spirit… and Kagome had it the most. Kagome would refuse to be dominated and the more anyone tried the more she fought. Sesshoumaru Masaharu would most likely want to choke his daughter, and vice versa, before their first week of marriage was even over and probably want to kill her with a heavy, blunt object by the end of the second week. But, no matter what the Masaharu tried or threatened she wouldn't give in to him until she felt he deserved it. And the only way he would deserve it, in her mind, would be for him to earn her respect and trust first. Her loyalty would come with the marriage since it was his right, but anything else Sesshoumaru would have to earn on his own.

His Kagome would only be ruled when she allowed it and that was all there was to it.

Onigumo sighed as he rubbed a finger on his face in the space between his eyes. _'Actually, all my girls won't allow domination over them. It would only be given.'_ The mere thought was giving him a headache. There were going to be fights; he just _knew_ it. He didn't even want to think about that other Masaharu pup and his daughter Kikyo; not after last night. He hoped the pup wasn't one who liked to lie.

He, idly, wondered how many times he was going to feel like killing one of the pups as he hoped, subconsciously, that he didn't end up regretting not going to war with the Emperor instead.

"Excuse me, my lord?"

Onigumo partially turned and eyed the butler out of the corner of his eye. "Yes, Genju?"

"My lord," bowed the servant, "his lordship Masaharu and his other two sons are here and requesting an audience your lordship, sir."

"Are they?" he arched a sardonic brow at his starchy servant. Genju was the oldest of all his servants. The butler had worked for his grandfather and had been the one to look after Onigumo as a child. The butler had practically raised him. He knew the butler as well as he knew anyone in his family and he knew from the starchy attitude that not only were the Masaharus in hearing range, but the Genju still hadn't decided if he liked the Lord of the Southern Territory and his children yet.

He took the latter as a good sign. If Genju's jury was still out then there must be something to the Masaharus that Onigumo hadn't seen yet.

Genju waited patiently for his master to tell him to allow the visitors in the room.

"Show them in Genju," he grinned before turning back to the window and the view he was paying no attention to.

Genju fought not to roll his eyes at his young master's antics; he was use to them now. "Yes, my lord."

Moments later InuTaisho Masaharu and his sons walked in the room.

Onigumo heard the door shut behind them, but did not turn to greet his guests right away. He let the silence grow for a moment longer before he finally turned around. He eyed each one of them individually before returning his gaze to the oldest of the three.

"Masaharu," he nodded as he moved to his desk and gestured to the two chairs in front of it and waited for Masaharu to take a seat. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? I doubt you missed me; especially since you only just left here less than twelve hours ago."

InuTaisho arched a brow from his seated position on the other side of the large desk. "_Missed_ _you_? Not likely, no."

Sesshoumaru and InuYasha took up standing positions behind there father. InuYasha rolled his eyes at the last comment from the other Taiyoukai. Sesshoumaru didn't even show he had heard it.

"As I gathered," said Onigumo evenly. "So, again, why are you here?"

InuTaisho leaned back in his seat then, "to have a talk."

"A talk?" he arched a brow, "and what do we have to talk about?"

"After that business from last night, I have a suspicion you haven't told us everything there is to know about your daughters."

'_Straight to the point. I like that.' _Onigumo refrained from grinning. "Is that what this is all about? Last night?" He leaned back in his seat and, pressing his fingertips together, he steepled his hands in front of him as he rested his elbows on the arms of his chair.

"Yes," answered InuTaisho, frankly. "I find I'm interested to know what that was all about."

Onigumo decided not to pretend like he didn't know what Masaharu was talking about. He didn't want to look like he was trying to hard to hide something. His adversary would see right through it, and besides, Onigumo respected himself too much to play idiot.

"Really," he gave a small smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Why the sudden interest?"

"You don't think I should be interested in the women my sons have been ordered to marry?" he gave him a disbelieving look, "Especially when my youngest son is already married to one?"

"Some would say that your… _interest_ is a little late," he tried to give an innocent look. It didn't work; his mother once told him that crimson eyes could never look innocent after the age of three.

InuTaisho's eyes hardened. "What are you hiding Higurashi?"

"I have nothing to hide Masaharu," he spread his hands to emphasize the fact.

"Of course," nodded InuTaisho. He'd play his word game. "Let me rephrase: What are your _daughters_ hiding?"

"A father can never know everything there is to know about his daughters."

InuTaisho hid his irritation. This was getting him nowhere. "So, you're not going to tell us? Yet, you want my sons to marry your daughters."

"I want nothing of the kind. And you well know it. This is the Emperor's game, not mine."

"Yet you agreed to play."

"As did you, Masaharu," he countered, eyes hardening. "I agreed because to not to could cause an unnecessary war with Tao. What's your excuse?"

"Same," he shrugged casually. "A war with the Emperor of Japan would not be a wise decision. If I'm to take that step it would have to be for the right reason."

"True," Onigumo agreed. "But to answer your initial question; No, I'm not going to tell you. That is a decision for them to make… and them alone. When they want your sons," he eyed the two youkai standing behind there father before looking back at Masaharu, "to know, I'm sure they'll tell them."

'_So they _are_ hiding something…'_ He didn't point his observation out. InuTaisho was sure that Higurashi gave the information on purpose. "There are other ways for me to find out, you realize?"

"You can try."

"You don't think my sons can find out what your daughters are hiding."

Onigumo looked at the eldest son then. "No, I don't. Not before my girls want them to know."

'_Did he just challenge me?'_ Sesshoumaru arched a brow then.

"But like I said," continued Onigumo a moment later, "you're all welcome to try."

"I have another question," said InuTaisho with a nod. He'd leave the topic of _The Secret_ alone for now. "Are your daughters youkai or not? I've heard many rumors and I've seen them. I want the truth."

Something flashed in Onigumo's eyes as his jaw hardened, "What are you _implying_ Masaharu?" If the other Taiyoukai even dared to say that his daughters weren't good enough for his sons… the Emperor was going to have his war.

"I'm not implying anything Higurashi," he tried not to grin in the face of the other lord's anger. "Like I said; I've heard the rumors and you must admit your daughters do not _look_ youkai, but they don't _smell_ ningen either."

"Then why are you asking? If they don't smell human then they can't be human."

"Neither do they smell youkai," spoke Sesshoumaru quietly, his gaze trained on the Taiyoukai sitting behind the desk.

InuTaisho arched a brow as InuYasha crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes.

Onigumo studied the three of them as they waited for his answer. He didn't sense any hostility or disapproval in their scent, just curiosity.

"They are neko youkais. You can be certain of that."

"Why do they not look it? Do they have a true form?"

"You would have to ask Atsuki or my mother to explain it to you. While I understand the reason, I doubt I could explain or answer any questions I know you will have," he shrugged. Onigumo was being honest there; he could tell them, but he was sure he'd only confuse them more. They were better off putting there questions to his mate. "As to your question about they're true form: what you see is what you get."

"Are you sure they're yours?" asked InuTaisho.

The moment the last word cleared the inu-Taiyoukai's lips, Onigumo was perched on the other side of his desk with the sharp end of a silver letter opener at the other lord's neck.

His eyes had darkened to a blood red, almost black color as he held the sharp object steady. "Say what you will about me Masaharu, but do _not_ speak of my wife to me in such away again. Next time I'll slit your throat from ear to ear."

"And it would be the last move you made."

Onigumo raised his eyes to Sesshoumaru's when he heared what the pup said. There was a fire in the golden orbs that would have impressed Onigumo at any other time.

"Are you sure about that pup?" his eyes narrowed.

Sesshoumaru flinched and took an involuntary step back when a sudden pain grew in his head. He fought himself from taking another step back and held his ground; eyes narrowed as he took the sharp pain.

"You're a great warrior Sesshoumaru and I have no doubt that one day, in time, you will be able to defeat me and your father, but you're not there yet." He turned his eyes away from Sesshoumaru to InuYasha then focused his eyes on there father once more as he addressed him again, "Would you like me to call Atsuki in here and then you can call her loyalty into question personally? You grew up with her; how well do you think it will go Masaharu?"

Slowly, Onigumo with drew the weapon and stood up on his desk. He turned and moved back across it and dropped gracefully down to stand in front of his chair once more.

The pain in Sesshoumaru's head had ceased the moment Higurashi had focused his attention back on his father. He watched the Taiyoukai closely.

InuTaisho was on his feet as he glared across the desk at Higurashi. The whites of his eyes had changed to red as the once purple irises had become a bright blue.

"You would _dare_ to threaten me?" he deeply growled.

"Be glad it was only a threat," responded Onigumo just as darkly. "You insulted my mate; I have _killed_ for less."

InuTaisho accepted that; Atsuki-though they were no longer as close as they used to be-did not deserve the remark. Truthfully, he was glad Higurashi didn't call the red-head to the office; she would have ripped him apart.

"I'll accept that," he breathed quietly as his eyes reverted to their normal shade, "but leave your tricks with me. Attack my son again and I'll make slitting your throat look like mercy after I'm finished with you."

Onigumo arched a brow, but said nothing. He'd promised his wife he'd try to get along and dammit, that's what he was going to do! Carefully he sat down as he returned their gazes and patiently let the silence grow. He had nothing more to say.

"So, where are they?" spoke InuTaisho, finally, in to the silence.

He blinked. "Where are _who_?"

"Your daughters," replied InuTaisho, eyebrows raised, "Ladies Sango, Kikyo and Kagome?" then after a moment he added, "and where is my son?"

Onigumo gave them an inquiring look, his own eyebrows raised, as he discreetly pressed a button under his desk with his knee.

A few moments later the door to his office opened quietly as Genju appeared.

"My lord?" bowed the old servant.

"Genju where is Sango's new husband, young lord Miroku?"

"He's right behind me sir," he replied while stepping out of the way to let Miroku enter the office unhindered.

Onigumo nodded at the darker headed Masaharu in greeting as the young inu-youkai approached his father and brothers.

"And my daughters, Genju, where are they?" Onigumo asked as he fought not to laugh. Any other time his butler would have told him to get off his ass and go find his daughters himself, but the old servant was putting on appearances for his guests.

It wasn't his fault he had a prideful butler… but he was enjoying the older youkai's torture. He had to give him credit though; no one who didn't _know_ the old servant would have been able to tell the butler was getting agitated

"I believe they're in the dojo my lord," Genju replied stiffly. He'd get his lordship brat back for this!

The laughter fell from Onigumo's eyes then. He kept his face blank as he took in the disturbing news. His daughter's never practiced this early. Something must be bothering one, or all, of them if they need to resort to training to release stress… which meant he'd have to get a hold of an architect soon.

"Thank you Genju," he nodded distractedly.

Genju bowed, hiding his grin, and left the room. He shut the door quietly behind him.

Onigumo was lost in his own thoughts for a moment, but came out of them when he noticed the four peculiar gazes locked on him. "What?"

InuYasha lifted a brow. "The _dojo_?"

"Yes. Is there a problem?" he raised his own brow, shifting his eyes between the four of them. "I'm sure you've _seen_ one before," he stressed the word 'seen'.

OOOO

_Thirty minutes earlier…_

Sango ambled down the hall away from her parent's bedroom. She had been in a better mood after talking to her mother, but as soon as Atsuki was out of her sight Sango's mood had fallen again.

She still didn't know what to do about Miroku and herself and she hadn't told her mother about what happened to her that morning. Sango really didn't know what to tell her mother and until they discovered just who the lady from the mirror was she felt it was best to keep the incident between her and her sisters.

Which meant she'd still be lying to Miroku even if she decided to tell him everything else about herself; not that she'd decided to do that. Sango sighed as she wrapped her arms around herself as she continued walking, no destination in mind.

Her head was beginning to hurt from all the thinking she was doing. What she really needed was to release some energy before she did something she would come to regret later.

Sango stopped and looked around her then.

She frowned. She was near the south wing she realized as she looked into the room on her left and recognized the large conservatory. Her mother liked to spend time there pretending she knew something about plants other then how to kill them. She grinned to herself as a image of Kagome teasing there mother about her non-existent green thump came to her mind. Kagome liked to tease that if you listened closely you could hear the plants screaming in terror whenever their mother was near.

After a moment she remembered her destination and headed for the stairs at the end of the hall. If she took them down three flights and made a detour through the servant's quarters she could reach the dojo by the back hall that connected the south wing to the west wing where the large room sat at the back of the castle.

Anxiously she hurried down the stairs, stooping down to pick Kirara up on her way; the familiar never had any problems in finding her. She gave the little neko a scratch behind the ears as she vaguely wondered where the youkai cat had come from.

ooo

Kagome and Kikyo were still in the same positions they were in when Sango left them an hour ago.

Kagome, perched on the floor in front of Kikyo's chair sighed as she leaned her chin on her raised knees. She was worried about Sango. Her oldest sister relied on her visions to point her in the right direction so much that, sometimes, she didn't know how to judge a situation for herself. You'd think Sango would, at least, know how to make decisions regarding herself without her gift since she never gets visions that deal with herself on a personal level, but no, that wasn't the case.

Absently, she ran her fingers along the dark fur of Dygee's head and back when he rubbed his body along her side. She gently wrapped her hand around his tail and gave it a soft tug when she reached the tip. She grinned subconsciously when he turned around and bumped his head against her hand in reproach as her mind continued to wander.

Truthfully, all of them relied on there gifts too much.

Sango was to afraid she'll make a wrong choice again and cause something bad to happen. Kikyo built such thick walls around herself that she didn't know how to come out from behind them or how to deal with her own feelings that made her feel anything other then serene patience… and anger. As for Kagome, she feared not having her gift to protect herself and the ones she loved.

Many who knew about her and her sisters thought Kagome's gift was the spiritual power she commanded through her hands, but that wasn't it. All of them had the spiritual power in one form or another. Her gift was that of a healer. She could heal almost any injury… the only catch was; she could feel the pain she healed while she was healing it. Kagome used her spiritual powers to protect her from the pain around her, but it wasn't easy. There was more pain around here then one would believe from sick babies to children to fighting injuries.

Pain; Kagome knew it well.

But, she wasn't worried about Kikyo and herself right now; she was worried about Sango. Kagome shut her eyes for a moment and slowly stretched out her ki in search of Sango's. She just wanted to know if Sango was still with there mother or, if not, if she was okay. She gave a small sigh and grinned when she felt her oldest sister's aura… but she didn't sense her mother. Where was San-Kagome's head snapped up and her eyes opened wide then.

Sango was in the dojo.

"Oh," she breathed as she turned her gaze up to her sister sitting above her.

"What is it?" asked Kikyo with a tilt of her head.

"Sango is in the dojo."

"Oh," she blinked, mimicking Kagome's earlier statement. "Shall we go change and join her?"

Kagome thought for a moment then a slow grin began to stretch across her face. "Yes," she responded, blue eyes twinkling.

Kikyo gave her a curious look, but didn't ask. She nodded calmly and waited for Kagome to stand, before she gathered Mala into her arms and stood.

Kagome, holding Dygee, smiled at her sister. "Meet you there?"

"All right," nodded Kikyo.

They both exited the library swiftly and walked together towards their rooms. They separated when Kagome turned to enter her room after agreeing to meet at the dojo one last time.

ooo

Sango had deposited Kirara on a blanket in an out of the way corner of the large room, before she had changed her clothes in the dressing area adjacent to the training area. After she put on the tight black bodysuit she liked to wear when fighting and tied her hair up into a high ponytail, she quickly tied on a pair of shoes specially made for her to be able to grip the ground better, then moved back out into the dojo area.

The dojo consisted of a large hard wood floor that was covered with a thin mat. When you entered the room from the entrance door on the far left wall there were weapons of all types covering it all the way across from top to bottom. There were bows of varying sizes, swords of all kinds, axes, daggers, sais, whips, chains with weapons attached to them and some without, staffs, kamas, fighting fans, kwan daos, steel clubs, throwing knives and stars, nunchucks, batons and just about anything else her father could get his hands on.

And her and her sisters were trained to use them all.

Granted, they were better with some then others, and Sango's best weapon wasn't on the wall at all, but it sat in the corner between the left and back walls leaning against them. It wasn't her Hiraikotsu, but an imitation that she used for practicing. This one was made of a thick wood that had five weights imbedded inside of it; three to mimic the weight of the real Hiraikotsu and the extra 2 to make it heavier.

At the back of the dojo the wall was cover with a large tapestry depicting the first battle between the Higurashi and the Masaharu clan. It covered the entire wall except for the small section right before the back wall met the right wall where a doorway led to the changing rooms and the bathrooms where Sango was currently standing.

The right wall was the only bare wall in the room. Even the wall that held the entrance door had a large emblem of the family seal on it.

Sango bent over at the waist a couple of times and stretched her arms out to her sides to loosen herself up. She bent down and gave Kirara's fur a rub before moving over to the wall and selecting a bokken to practice with. Slowly she moved to the middle of the room, bowed to her imaginary opponent, then after assuming her position she lunged forward with her bokken pointed straight in front of her.

Quickly she brought her weapon up with a swooping motion as she twisted on the toes of her feet and bringing it down again. She twisted one way and then the other as she parried and thrust with her bokken. Gracefully she dropped and twisted as she swept her leg out to the side in a swift sweeping motion.

Kikyo and Kagome stood at the door quietly as they watched there older sister practicing with the wooden sword. They exchanged knowing looks before turning their gazes back on Sango. They both agreed that Sango was very good with the weapon.

But, maybe she could use some _real_ competition.

Kagome smiled at Kikyo and was just about to move inside the room when Sango's voice reached their ears.

"Are you two here to watch or play?"

Kagome's eyes widened as a slow grin stretched across her face. Kikyo arched a brow.

"Well, we're going to play of course," smiled Kagome as she moved into the room, Kikyo following behind her, "or at else we got all dressed up for nothing."

Sango smiled as she eyed her baby sister in a pair of sweat pants and a black tank top that bared her midriff. Her hair was in a thick braid ending at the small of her back. She looked at Kikyo next and noted the pair of red hakamas and the white kimono shirt similar to the _chihaya_ that their miko grandmother wore a lot.

"Alright," grinned Sango as she moved over towards the wall to trade her bokken for a katana, "but no long range weapons. I don't want papa to ban us again."

"Okay. Also," blue eyes twinkled mischievously, "every woman for herself."

Sango and Kikyo exchanged looks over Kagome's head for a moment before nodding in agreement. Sango gave a light shrug and moved to the middle of the room as Kagome and Kikyo chose there weapons. Kikyo quietly pulled down a double bladed sword, her right hand wrapping firmly around the hilt in the middle of the two blades, as Kagome grabbed a pair of butterfly swords then followed Kikyo to the middle of the room where Sango waited.

They stood together in a circle and touched there blades to each others. After exchanging grins they, simultaneously, flipped away from each other.

Sango, landing with her feet spread far apart, her left knee bent and facing forward, raised her katana over her head horizontally and her other arm stretched out in front of her. "Ready."

Kikyo landed gracefully in a standing position with both feet together. Palm open wide, she spun the double bladed sword in a circle in front of her. Deftly she closed her fist around the hilt and stopped the sword in a horizontal position. "Ready."

Smiling as she spun both butterfly blades with quick twist of her wrist, Kagome landed on one knee. Her arms were stretched out to either side, blades pointed behind her. "Begin."

Immediately they all charged forward.

Their blades clashed once before they broke apart again. Kagome swiftly dropped to crouched position and spun, extending a leg towards them. Both Kikyo and Sango jumped to escape the attack to their feet as they attacked one another in the air with their weapons.

Sango landed gracefully then quickly spun and swung her weapon at Kagome, before spinning away again when Kagome blocked the blow.

Kikyo thrust one end of her double sword at Kagome then tilted it upwards and pushing the other end forwards.

Kagome blocked the first attack with one blade and use the flat of the other blade to block the second. With a push, she shoved Kikyo's sword away then swung the other blade towards her sister's neck. In a series of quick hand motions she continued to attack Kikyo.

Kikyo was pushed backwards as she blocked each blow.

Sango quickly swung her katana at Kagome's head causing the younger sister to jump backwards and break her attack on Kikyo. Sango grinned then gripped the swords' hilt in both hands. In a series of movements she attacked Kagome.

Kikyo moved towards the weapons wall and traded her double blade for a Kwan Dao. Quickly she moved back towards the fight and, with a leap in the air, she brought the blade end down into the middle of the battle. Sango and Kagome's blades crossed above her own and she swiftly brought it back up.

Sango and Kagome jumped backwards then. Kagome moved over toward the left wall as Sango and Kikyo engaged in battle. She grabbed a staff made of metal after putting the butterfly swords back.

Kikyo spun on the balls of her feet in a quick circle as she spun the bladed staff around over her head. Quickly, she brought the blade down in a curving motion.

Sango just missed getting her neck cut as she jumped backwards. She gave her sister a mocking bow with a grin before moving back in.

ooo

"You allow your daughters to use your dojo?" asked InuYasha with an arched brow.

"Of course," answered Onigumo with a raised brow of his own.

"Why don't you three go see how they are doing?" suggested InuTaisho with a glint in his eye. "There's something I'd like to discuss with Lord Higurashi."

Sesshoumaru looked down at his father then, but could not discern anything from his expression when InuTaisho returned his look. After a moment he nodded then turned and left the room; Miroku and InuYasha following behind him.

"Feh!" muttered InuYasha as the door shut behind him.

Onigumo watched the three of them leave and waited 'til the door was closed before leveling a questioning look on InuTaisho.

"We have something more to discuss?" he asked skeptically.

"No," he shook his head as the glint in his eyes grew, "I just think that my sons could use a little… lesson. It's time they learned that Lady Atsuki and there mother aren't the only women with certain… _talents._"

"I see." Onigumo thought about his daughters and the array of weapons they knew how to use, regardless of the other powers they possessed, and figured that those boys were in for interesting treat. "They know where the dojo is located?"

"They'll find it."

oooo

Sango, Kikyo, and Kagome were on there third weapon switch when Sesshoumaru, Miroku, and InuYasha reached the dojo. They came to a halt in the doorway when they caught sight of the girls.

Kikyo had a pair of twin katanas, Sango had a Pudao, and Kagome was wielding a pair of sais. Miroku and InuYasha exchanged curious looks, but followed Sesshoumaru's lead and stayed where they were to watch.

Sango flipped the metal staff with its sharp blade behind her, wrapped her fist around the top of the staff and pressed it diagonally across her back; blade pointed towards the floor. She waited patiently for her sisters to attack.

They had switched there game plan after switching weapons again. Now, instead of every woman for herself they were doing two against one and it was Sango's turn to be the _one._

Kikyo moved in slowly at first, using only one sword she swiped at Sango, who jumped out of the way of the blow as shebrought the staff from behind her.

Sango held the staff up with both hands, horizontally, to block an overhead attack, than pushed the blade end forward with an attack of her own. Kikyo crossed her katanas in an x shape as she bent over backwards to block a blow. She twisted around with one arm out-stretched and swiped in the direction of Sango's neck.

Changing tactics, Kikyo attacked with a series of quick slashes and swipes with the twin blades. For each strike Sango blocked she came back with two more.

Suddenly, a flash from her right caught her attention, and Sango turned just in time to block Kagome's attack. With a flick she twisted the staff in her hand and thrust the blade at Kagome's throat.

"I believe it's your turn Kagome to be the _one_."

"_We have an audience,"_ said Kagome, opening their link.

"_We noticed,"_ responded Kikyo quietly.

Kagome severed the link as both her sisters attacked at once. She jumped backwards then, changing her grip on the sais to curve her pointer and ring finger over the horizontal bar on either side of the middle stake, she stalked forward and attacked.

Instead of going on the defensive first like both Sango and Kikyo had done, Kagome's weapon of choice was and offensive weapon and, deciding to stay with that thought, she decided to attack them head on. Deftly she spun on her toes, hair flying around her, as she parried, jabbed and thrust with the sais. Gracefully she dropped and swept Kikyo's feet out from under her then continued her attack on Sango.

Sango swiftly threw her arm forward, sliding the Pudao forward and catching it at its base. She used the blade to attack with while using the staff's length to keep Kagome at a distance.

For a while all Kagome could do was block Sango while blocking Kikyo too, but, in a quick reflex move, she caught the staff in the space between the middle prong and the outer curved prong of the sais.

Quickly, Sango pulled the Pudao back towards her then twisted it, letting the blade turn and clash with the sais. When her weapon was released, Sango attacked again with the large blade and staff.

Kagome spun as she dodged a blow from Sango and parried a hit from Kikyo, who was back on her feet. She aimed a kick at Sango then spun around and attacked Kikyo. The sound of their blades clashing rung through the room as they met each other blow for blow.

oo

Sesshoumaru was intrigued.

He hadn't imagined the ladies had that much skill. Oh, he'd figured they'd had some training, especially after the way Lady Sango had thrown that large weapon at Miroku's on the day of the wedding, but he'd never imagined what he was witnessing. There movements were quick and precise. They all moved with a grace that could only be found in neko youkais. It was obvious that while they may not have the physical appearance of their family they did inherit the genes. It had been interesting to see.

Idly he wondered how they would hold up in a real battle as he turned and walked back the way he'd come.

Miroku and InuYasha watched them for a moment longer before following him.

Once again they jumped back from one another.

Sango, Kikyo and Kagome eyed each other for a moment before they started to laugh, except Kikyou, who only smiled. They dropped there weapons then collapsed to the ground, each lying on their backs with their heads touching in the middle like a star with only three points.

"You think they enjoyed the show?" smiled Sango; she was feeling much better.

"They were surprised," smiled Kikyo gently.

"I bet they were," said Kagome ruefully as she squeezed Kikyo's hand.

"I'm sure we'll hear about it sooner or later," laughed Sango.

"Hmm." Kagome didn't feel like talking about the Masaharu brothers; she had something more _interesting_ on her mind. She grinned. "So tell us Sango, how was your night last night?"

Sango's face heated, "Kagome!"

"What?" she blinked innocently.

"That's not the issue here!"

"Let's make it the issue," she suggested with a pout.

"Before I say anything you both have to agree to fair play when it's your turns." Shewaited for Kikyo's nod of agreement and Kagome's muttered "of course"before she rolled her eyes and giggled. "Well," she began, relenting, "Have I told you he has the most _amazing_ hands?"


	10. It's Begun

Disclaimer: I own nothing… still.

"_The best place to start is at the beginning…"  
__--Don't know. (Anybody recognize it? O.o)_

_Previously…_

_Sango, Kikyo and Kagome eyed each other for a moment before they started to laugh, except Kikyou, who only smiled. They dropped there weapons then collapsed to the ground, each lying on their backs with their heads touching in the middle like a star with only three points._

"_You think they enjoyed the show?" smiled Sango; she was feeling much better._

"_They were surprised," smiled Kikyo gently._

"_I bet they were," said Kagome ruefully as she squeezed Kikyo's hand._

"_I'm sure we'll hear about it sooner or later," laughed Sango._

"_Hmm." Kagome didn't feel like talking about the Masaharu brothers; she had something more interesting on her mind. She grinned. "So tell us Sango, how was your night last night?"_

_Sango's face heated, "Kagome!"_

"_What?" she blinked innocently._

"_That's not the issue here!"_

"_Let's make it the issue," she suggested with a pout._

"_Before I say anything you have to both agree to fair play when it's your turns." She waited for Kikyo's nod and Kagome's muttered "of course" before she rolled her eyes and giggled. "Well," she began, relenting, "Have I told you he has the most amazing hands?"_

Chapter 10: It Begins

"Do you think they're trained to use them all?" asked Miroku thoughtfully, his mind still on the sisters and the impressive array of weapons hanging in the dojo.

Neither Sesshoumaru nor Inu Yasha offered up an opinion; not that he was paying attention if they had.

Sesshoumaru continued walking away from the dojo, ignoring his brothers, because his mind was still there. There was no denying his surprise at the skill the sisters just displayed. Their father had, more or less, boasted of the competence they had when it came to combat, but Sesshoumarru had put most of it down to fatherly pride more then truth. He had obviously been mistaken.

The prospect did not sit well with him.

He knew very well that there were women out there who were good in combat; especially youkai women. His own mother had been one of them and so was his step-mother; even Lady Higurashi was known to be a fierce opponent; his father had mentioned it on many occasions. So, why was he so surprised at the daughters having such skill and power?

It was easy to forget, because of the way they looked, that they were not human. This just proved the fact that despite their appearance they did, indeed, have youkai blood within them.

Though he had never said anything to the contrary, Sesshoumaru had wondered on many occasions if the sisters' really were their parent's offspring. Apart of him had even hoped that they were not, so when he found a way to get out of the marriage he was sure he did not want, he had one more reason on his side to get his father to agree.

He ignored the fact that Higurashi Kagome's reputation would never recover from such an act by him since they were, technically, already married. It was a known fact that society would rather a woman entered a bad union then to be jilted, or worse, divorced. Especially in a youkai bonding.

That was her problem.

But, her appearance could not aide him since she was of youkai blood. It was of no use to him now.

He frowned inwardly as his mind was brought back to the display he and his brothers had only just witnessed moments ago. While the whole act was unexpected there was something that left the the youkai more unsettled then surprised

Their auras.

Sesshoumaru did not understand it. He did not see how it was possible, but he knew he was not mistaken. There were _three_ women in that dojo, but he only sensed _one_ aura. There was a slight fluctuation whenever they switched attackers and he could almost _feel_ the undercurrent that was different and unique to each one of them when he focused on one daughter more then the others, but their youki was so similar-_almost_ _the_ _exact_ _same_-that it left him puzzled.

Only twins, or the like, had auras that were that similar to one another and from the information he received on the Higurashi daughters he knew there was a year between each of them. Given the amount of time, their youki should not be that identical.

It was just another mystery he intended to solve about the daughters… whether by his own methods or he would have the answers he sought from their own mouths. He personally, did not care which, but he _would_ have his answers. Though, he wondered if it would really make much difference since it seemed that when one mystery was solved two more – _far more perplexing_ – were waiting to take its place.

The fact that his father still agreed to the unions when so little was known about the women, caused Sesshoumaru some concern.

He could only speculate on what his father thoughts on the matter were. It was obvious the Masaharu Taiyoukai did not feel there was any real threat from the unions. He hoped his father was correct in his assumption.

Whatever the case; the fact Sesshoumaru, himself, knew so little about his intended did not sit well with him.

With a slight tilt of his head he motioned for both InuYasha and Miroku to follow him as he made his way to the library.

Miroku and InuYasha exchanged identical looks before doing as Sesshoumaru requested. They had both found the display of skill to be mildly surprising, if not a little amazing. While Miroku had suspected there was more to the sisters then what had been shown to them so far, he had still found the revelation that he was correct a bit miraculous. He could sense that they were all holding back and he wondered, not for the first time, just how powerful they were. InuYasha, honestly, didn't know what to think about the matter. He was happy to know that the women could defend themselves should they not be around to protect them, but something about the whole display was unnatural to him. When he'd shared his unease with Sesshoumaru and Miroku he wasn't surprised to see they'd also felt the same way.

When they reached the library InuYasha and Miroku both took seats in the two large armchairs sitting near the large fire place while Seeehoumaru moved to stand near the large window that looked out on to the lands to the west of the large castle. Crossing his arms over his chest he stared out towards the far horizon. He could just barely see the roofs of his family's ancestral castle sitting in the distance.

"So what now?" asked InuYasha as he eyed Sesshoumaru's back. "What are we supposed to do here?" he asked after a moment when his brother didn't seem like he planned on answering his first question.

"We wait," replied Sesshoumaru quietly.

'_Wait for what?'_ thought InuYasha as he received an arched brow from Miroku, but decided not to voice the question knowing he wouldn't get an answer anyway. "Feh!"

OOOO

Lavender eyes stared into the raging fire before them as the mind of the youkai who possessed them whirled around his current problem. It was going to be difficult to make sure the Masaharus and the Higurashis remained enemies, he realized as he thought about the wedding he'd witnessed the day before. He hadn't anticipated the two rivals would actually move as quickly as the Emperor had requested… or as quickly as they _assumed_ the Emperor requested. He'd been sure that both families would fight against the unions for as long as possible and, with that, renew the fighting between the two families.

He'd been sure requesting a speedy union would exacerbate the problem.

Now he'd have to move to _Plan B_. He didn't mind that though; truthfully he much rather preferred Plan B to _Plan A_ anyway. Plan B was a more… _hands on_…approach then Plan A was and anyone who knew him knew he was much more of a _hands on_ kind of youkai.

He could do nothing about the youngest Masaharu heir's marriage, it was done and from the display put on by the bride it was obviously not a harmonious union. It didn't matter now, regardless. That was just icing now. What _was_ important was the next two marriages – and making sure they never happened.

When he was finished with the Masaharus and the Higurashis both InuTaisho and Naraku would curse the day they ever heard the name _Moriyoumaru_.

OOOO

"When we enter should we pretend we don't know they saw us?" asked Kagome of her sisters as they slowly made there way to the library where they knew the men were waiting for them.

It wasn't hard to figure out that the guys had gone to the library. It was known throughout the castle that the sisters liked to rest in the library for about an hour before it was time for lunch to be served. Sometimes they even stayed in the library through lunch if they were in a particular mood. So, naturally, if you wanted to find any one of them around the current time of day, for whatever reason, the library was where you'd look.

And they knew, the men would want to talk.

"Would that be wise?" responded Kikyou thoughtfully. "Is it really plausible that neither of us would have sensed them?"

"Good point," sighed Kagome. "What could they possibly want to talk about anyway?" she asked irritably. She _hated_ when her sisters and her were judged on how they looked and for some inexplicable reason she felt that was _exactly_ what the three yoiukai waiting for them had done.

"They can't _possibly_ think we don't know how to defend ourselves!" she added suddenly, throwing her hands up and almost hitting both her sisters in the face as she was walking between them.

Sango shot the irritated miko a disgruntled look, both for almost being knocked in the cheek as well as for her sister's last statement; thinking it was a stupid thing to say.

Kikyou just arched a brow as she calmly dodged the expected blow. Her baby sister had always been excitable when angry.

Kagome muttered an apology to them as she caught the look in their eyes; an unspoken _'Of course!'_ She rolled her eyes at them then sucked in a deep breath and slowly released it, trying to release a bit of her anger before they arrived at the library. It's not as if it was the first time someone had wrongly assumed things about them. It was only in this particular case that it truly pissed her off! Knowing who they had for a mother – not to mention their father – why would anyone think they were untrained? It was absurd!

Not to mention insulting to them as well as their parents.

"Well, we'll let them bring it up if they want," she decided, than added, "and if _one_ of them says something I don't like I won't be responsible for my actions! I mean honestly!"

Sango just shrugged, agreeing completely. If one of them had something derogatory to say, a little singed fur would be just what they deserved.

Kikyou merely nodded. Not really caring, one way or another, what any of the brothers thought on the subject.

Five minutes later they entered the library, Sango leading the way

"Hello," Sango said in greeting as Kikyou moved gracefully to the chair in front of the fire she always sat in. It was immediately vacated by InuYasha, whom Kikyou nodded at as she grabbed the book she'd been reading off the table beside the chair.

Kagome gracefully fell on the thick rug in front of the fire, comfortably stretching out on her back then folding her hands beneath her head. Sango took up position on the chaise near the window and Sesshoumaru, lying on her side with her elbow propped up on the raised part of the oddly shaped chair and her head resting in her open palm.

"Hello ladies," said Miroku after the women had found places. "You all look refreshed after your vigorous training. I must say you all fight remarkably well. Did your father train you?"

"And our mother and grandmother," said Kagome as she turned to look at him. "Are you surprised?"

"Not particularly," he shrugged. "My father has mentioned on many occasions that your mother is a formidable warrior."

That wasn't what she meant and she had a feeling he knew that from the look in his eyes. There was a light in his violet orbs that gave her the impression he was laughing at her. And just like that, her irritation was gone. She gave him a crooked smile and rolled her eyes before looking away.

They all sat in silence for a moment, no one wanting to break it. Suddenly there was a soft sound at the door. They all turned to look at the entrance when a small black head with large emerald green eyes appeared that was quickly followed by a spotted head with amber eyes and a tan head with black ears and red and black eyes.

"I was wondering where they'd gone to?" smiled Sango as she held her hand out.

"Who knows?" shrugged Kagome as she stretched her hand out as well. "Hello Dygee."

Kikyou only smiled as Mala jumped neatly into her lap and purred while the other two felines made their way to Kagome and Sango. She gave another smile as Dygee, the only male of the three cats, bumped Kagome in the cheek with his head before climbing on her stomach.

"You are such a _boy_ Dygee," said Kagome as she rolled her eyes and ran her fingers along his soft fur.

Inuyasha, Miroku, and Sesshoumaru watched the three felines curiously for a moment as they each made themselves comfortable on their mistresses. Sesshoumaru stared as the tan and black one curled itself in the space between Lady Sango's neck and shoulder. He silently noted that the tan neko was the only of the three with two tales while the others only had one. He blinked while Sango idly ran her fingers over the cats head with one hand while the other continued to support her head. Kirara meowed as she caught the inu-youkai's eyes.

"Are the rumors true about them?" asked Inuyasha suddenly. He nodded towards the cat in Kikyou's lap when she looked at him. "Can they change?"

Kikyou stared at him as she tried to fight the odd sensation that had come over her when he looked directly at her. Her eyes fell to his mouth and a flash of the kiss from the night before came to her mind. She could feel a blush rising on her face, she immediately averted her eyes to hide the tell-tale sign, unexepectedly meeting her sister's curious blue gaze.

Kagome had opened her mouth to answer Inuyasha's question when she'd noticed the sudden stiffness in her sister. She watched Kikyou in wonder as she turned her eyes away from Inuyasha. She wondered what about his question had put that look on her sister's face. She'd never seen Kikyou blush like that before. She looked at Inuyasha, but couldn't really get a feel at what he was thinking since he was still intently watching Kikyou. She angled her head to look at Sango and was met with the same curious look as her own. She gave a small, inconspicuous shrug in response.

"_Kikyou are you alright?"_ she asked, opening a link to her sister.

"_I am fine,"_ responded Kikyou after a moments pause. _"Do not worry."_

"_If you're sure…"_

"_I am."_

Kagome gave her sister one last doubtful look before cutting off the link. She looked to Sango once more and shook her head in the negative, letting her know she didn't get any answers from Kikyou.

"Ladies?"

They all turned to look at the dark haired brother then, a question in their eyes.

Miroku had noticed the odd exchange between the sisters and quietly wondered at it. Their movements were so short and subtle, so fluid and normal that he almost didn't notice them. It was as if they were having a conversation with there eyes and body movements alone… yet _not_ alone. It was strange. He exchanged a look with Sesshoumaru and saw that he'd noticed the odd exchange between the women as well. He knew Inuyasha was too busy watching Kikyou to have noticed anything.

Keeping his observation to himself, he asked Inuyasha's question again since it was obvious the women had forgotten.

"Can your cats change their appearance?"

"Oh," said Kagome with a blink, realizing neither of them had answered the question earlier. She exchanged another surreptitious look and a nod with her sisters before nodding to him again in response, "yes, they can."

That snapped Inuyasha out of his trance. He turned to her an eyed the sleeping black ball of fur on her stomach then crossed his arms. "Feh." Why'd they answer Miroku but not him?

Kagome grinned at the stubborn look on Inuyasha's face. He was the brother she got along with the most. He annoyed her a lot but he didn't grope her and her sisters and he wasn't rude or mean to her on purpose. He also didn't strut around like a peacock like someone else, she thought as she eyed the figure in white slacks and shirt standing near the window.

Sesshoumaru returned her look with one of his own, holding it for a moment before turning his gaze back to the view outside the window; dismissing her.

Kagome huffed, recognizing the dismissal. She quickly sat up, deciding she no longer wanted to be in the same room with the pompous jerk! She gathered an indignant Dygee into her arms – he'd taken exception to being knocked out of his sleep when he'd fallen off of her when she'd suddenly moved – and rubbed her fingers through his fur in apology as she stood up.

"It's almost lunch time," she said as she moved to the door. "I'm going to eat. I'll see you all later."

Sango watched her sister leave and wondered at the look in her eyes. She'd looked more irritated then hungry. She'd seen the small exchange between Kagome and Sesshoumaru and also the way he'd turned from her soon after. It was obvious her baby sister and her intended still weren't getting along. She turned a worried look to Kikyou and met her sister's gaze.

Neither one of them knew what to do.

Sango sighed and muttered something about arrogant assholes that needed to get over themselves as she followed her sister out of the room. She didn't bother saying goodbye or giving any explanations on her way out, Kirara still perched on her shoulder.

Miroku sighed then grinned at Sesshoumaru's back; having heard his wife's muttering, before quickly chasing after her.

Kikyou gracefully stood up after watching Miroku follow behind Sango. Seeing how the room was quickly emptying, she didn't want to be left alone with the youkai in red standing across from her. She wasn't ready for that and she didn't want a repeat performance of last night… or so she kept telling herself.

"Excuse me," she said quietly as she held Mala close to her and moved towards the door.

"Kikyou?" called out Inuyasha as he watched her.

She immediately stopped a few steps from the door, facing away from him. Inuyasha hadn't meant to call out her name, he'd been thinking of saying something, but he hadn't figured out what he should say when her name had slipped out. He had no idea what he was going to say to her if she turned around. All he knew is that he didn't want her to leave.

Kikyou had hoped he wouldn't say anything before she left, but couldn't help stopping when she heard the pleading sound in his voice. A part of her wanted to go back to him, but a larger part knew she wasn't ready for that yet. She needed to figure some things out first and the indecision she could sense in him only confirmed her belief that she should leave.

He waited, watching her quietly as she stayed where she was, not moving. He opened his mouth to say something else when she suddenly turned her head to look over her shoulder at him.

"I can not," she said quietly then turned and quickly left the room.

InuYasha watched her leave then sighed as he lowered his head. He didn't know how to approach her. He was afraid if he did the wrong thing he'd only scare her away and make her withdraw into herself even more. And he feared if that happened, he'd never get past her shields, but he wasn't good with waiting either. Patience had never been one of his strong points. Just the thought of _waiting_ was pissing him off!

Sesshoumaru eyed his little brother from the corner of his eye. He'd heard and seen the interaction between InuYasha and Lady Kikyou, but wasn't sure he understood what was going on with them. He also didn't particularly care. He remembered the kiss InuYasha had given the middle sister last night and he also remembered the scene that followed, ending with her practically running from the room.

It was mainly the reason why their father and they were back at the Higurashi castle so soon.

Though he didn't like it, he knew InuYasha was really attracted to the Higurashi girl and he was relatively certain that Miroku was already in love with his wife. He would have preferred they kept an emotional attachment for the women out of the equation, like him, but he hadn't held much hope after seeing the sisters.

It was pathetic.

He had to admit to a bit of surprise in InuYasha's case though. InuYasha wasn't easily swayed by a pretty face. He was too stubborn for that.

But, Lady Kikyou wasn't just another pretty face and it was obvious his brother had no idea what to do about the middle Higurashi daughter.

"You have never been the type to think before acting, Inuyasha," he said to the forlorn youkai. "Be who you are."

He gave InuYasha a moment to let his words sink in then quietly left the library, leaving InuYasha alone with his thoughts.

oooo

Kikyou sighed as she ascended the stairs to the next level. She didn't understand what was wrong with her. Her stomach had felt queasy when Inuyasha had called out to her and she'd felt tense and sort of self-conscious the entire time she was in the library. It was really odd. She wanted to think she was coming down with something, but she knew it wasn't the case.

She only felt this way when she was around the inu-youkai.

But, what really worried her was how he was able to breakdown her walls last night without even trying. No one had ever been able to get through her safety nets… not even her sisters. She wasn't afraid to admit it scared her.

_He_ scared her.

Last night, when he'd kissed her, she'd never imagined it would be like that. Her skin had felt flush and alive as waves of heat washed over her. It had been amazing and terrifying all at the same time. She'd felt so secure and _safe_ with him that she hadn't even noticed her walls had fallen until it was almost too late.

And that's what worried her most. She couldn't think when he touched her.

These feeling were so new and confusing that she was unprepared to handle them. And no matter how hard she tried to block them out it didn't work. She needed to figure out what was going on and she needed to speak to her grandmother.

She knocked gently on the double white doors of her grandmother's suite at the end of the east hall on the third floor.

"Come in, child," said her grandmother from the other side of the doors.

The corner of her lips rose in a small smile as she opened one door and closed it firmly behind her. She allowed Mala to jump from her arms as she moved further into the spacious area.

"Konichiwa, baasan," she called out evenly as she looked around the room.

Kikyou loved her grandmother's rooms. They were done in varying shades of cream and white. Once you entered the rooms you were in the sitting room. The entire east wall was made of windows and the windows were covered with white silk drapes that hung from ceiling to floor. In front of the window sat a cream colored futon, its cushions made of silk with chiffon pillows. There was a large fire place in the wall near the door and the floor was covered with a pristine white rug that matched the décor perfectly. The rest of the suite; which consisted of a master bedroom and a spare, a dressing room, a bathroom and, lastly, a balcony was done in the exact same colors.

When she was younger she refused to eat or drink anything in the beautiful rooms, fearing she'd make a mess and ruin them. Kikyou gave a small smile as she looked around the beloved rooms; she didn't spend as much time there as she use too.

"Hello Kikyou, child," said her grandmother as she came from the hall leading to the bedrooms at the back.

Kikyou turned to face the older woman as she moved towards her. Her grandmother was wearing her usual chihaya – miko garb – and her long thick hair was pulled back from her face in a thick braid. In the last few years the thick mass of hair that had once been a deep ebony, tinged with grey at the edges and along the sides, was now completely silver. It did not take away from the handsome face of the older woman, even with the presence of the patch that was covering the miko's right eye.

It was still obvious that Higurashi Kaede had once been very beautiful as a young woman.

Kaede only had to take one look at her granddaughter to know there was something wrong.

"Tell me what has brought ye to me," she commanded as she grabbed the younger woman's hand and pulled her down to sit beside her on the futon.

"He broke through my walls," she responded in a quiet voice, barely above a whisper.

"Who-" began Kaede before dropping the question, eyes wide with wonder, "Ye _husband_? So _soon_?"

"He is no-" it was Kikyou's turn to cut herself off then. She focused confused hazel eyes on the other woman. "What do you mean 'so soon'?"

Kaede knew what her granddaughter had been going to say and wondered at the denial. Her son had told her that the marriage certificates had been signed already. So either the young woman didn't know what the paper-signing really signified or she was trying to distance herself from reality… for whatever reason.

Looking into her eyes, she had a feeling it was the latter. Question was; why?

"Well… once ye became joined," she began, choosing her words carefully for the moment, "its only natural, child, that such a barrier would not be able to hold against such a power."

_Power?_ Kikyou had no idea what her grandmother was talking about, but it was scaring her all the same. What power was the older woman talking about? She had not witnessed any significant power from InuYasha.

"I do not understand. What do you mean?" she asked, worry shining in her eyes.

"Tis an intimate relationship between a youkai and his mate, child. Tis not something to be taketh lightly. He will knoweth ye in ways no other ever shall…" she told her, eyes grave.

Kaede sighed to herself as she saw the fear and apprehension rise in her granddaughter's eyes. She'd known for years this moment would come when the younger woman started noticing men and was ready to marry, but she had never imagined the marriage would come before the noticing.

Problem was; before all the business with the Emperor and the Masaharus Kaede was pretty certain that Kikyou would probably never have married. Unlike Sango and Kagome, Kikyou did not pay attention to the opposite sex in the way a woman pays attention to a man. She saw them as she saw everyone else; with a polite disregard. She was not interested in men or sex in any way.

Kaede knew it was partly fear that kept Kikyou from wondering about men in that way, but she also knew that it wasn't the only reason. It was also ignorance. Her granddaughter didn't know how to open herself to the type of relationship that a youkai male would want from her as his wife. That _any_ man would want.

And that's what worried Kaede.

She figured now was as good a time as any for her to breach the subject with the younger woman. Kikyou needed to start thinking about what it would mean for her to be a wife and what could possibly happen. The fact that her husband was already able to breach her shields only meant that Kikyou was not unaffected by the inu-youkai.

"Ye can not hide ye from such a union if ye wish it to progress." Kaede waited a heartbeat for her words to sink in, before asking her question. "What happened between ye before ye walls broketh?"

"It was the end of the wedding reception and we were… dancing," answered Kikyou, wondering why what Inuyasha and her had been doing was relevant.

"Dancing?" asked the grandmother thoughtfully. "Ye say it was the end of the party… were ye alone? Is that all ye were doing? Nothing more?"

"Yes… well, no," she corrected herself reluctantly. She didn't want to think about the kiss, but for some reason she felt that was exactly what her grandmother was waiting to hear.

"He kissed me. And for a moment there was nothing but quiet around me. It was as if all of the feelings, everything, had just stopped and there was – for once – only me. And him, I guess…"

She released a small breath. It was the first time since the kiss that she was putting what she'd felt into words. It made the incident feel even more significant because of it. "Yes, he was there," she continued, a thoughtful look on her face. "For a moment it was as if I couldn't distinguish him from myself. I didn't know what was mine and what was his… Then he stopped kissing me and the whole room came back."

She looked at her grandmother then, the memory fading from her mind. "That's when I realized my shields were nearly gone."

So it had been a kiss. Kaede had imagined something like that had happened, but it still surprised her that a simple little kiss could throw her granddaughter – her _serious-minded _granddaughter – so far off her way. She guessed for someone who had never been properly kissed by a man, a simple kiss is all it took.

Kaede was so happy she almost made the mistake of smiling at the younger woman.

"Ah. That maketh more sense..." Love was a powerful thing. Even the _beginnings_ of love held a magic of its own. "Ye have a feeling for the youkai. Ye must discover what that is."

"A feeling?" she asked, puzzled. "For _InuYasha_?" She supposed that could be possible, but she couldn't imagine what it might be. She could admit, if only to herself, that his kiss hadn't been unpleasant, but it had been obvious afterward that he hadn't really wanted to do it.

Kaede nodded as she watched her closely.

"How do I do that, baasan?" she asked in a grave voice. "How do I figure out what I feel when my shields are failing me? I must learn a new way to protect myself."

"Ye need not a new shield, child," answered Kaede, eyes on her granddaughter. She waited a heartbeat before saying what she was going to say next, knowing the reaction she would get. "Ye must trust."

Kikyou's eyes widened as she stared at the older woman. "Trust what?" she whispered as her throat locked up and her stomach rolled in apprehension.

Kaede couldn't remember the last time she'd seen so much emotion on her granddaughter's face. It was obvious Kikyou was worried or afraid about something.

"Him."

With that one word the old woman watched as her granddaughter, Higurashi Kikyou, turned stark white as all the blood drained from her pretty face.

oooo

"I guess it's safe to assume that no one else is joining us for lunch," said InuTaisho with an arched brow at the other two occupants sitting at the large table with him.

"It would seem so," agreed Atsuki with a small smile. She'd arrived just in time to pass her oldest daughter on her way out of the dining room. She'd asked the younger woman if she was hungry and whether her sisters were going to eat as well. All she'd received was a polite 'no' and an 'I don't believe so' before her daughter had disappeared around a corner. She'd figured her daughters had a lot on their minds; she'd seen Kikyou going up to the third floor which meant she was going to visit her grandmother. And whenever Kikyou went to see Kaede it meant she was troubled.

She'd been expecting her daughter to go see the older miko after what happened at the wedding reception with the inu-youkai, knowing her daughter would suspect her barrier was at fault. She'd just figured her daughter would have gone sooner – more like first thing this morning.

Looking around the empty table, she smiled as she eyed all the empty seats. It was nice to know her daughters weren't the only ones having difficulties accepting their new positions in life. She almost laughed completely at how 'well' things were going when she noticed the identical odd looks aimed at her from the two males at the table.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"You were grinning…" answered Onigumo, shifting uncomfortably in his seat as he exchanged a look with the other taiyoukai at the table. His wife truly unnerved him sometimes. "It wasn't a nice grin either."

"Nonsense. All my grins are nice," she said, waving him off.

He shook his head. "Okay."

She arched one finely shaped eyebrow, as red as her hair, daring him to disagree.

"Hn," he grunted, but refrained from commenting. "So, why were you… smiling?"

"No reason really," she shrugged elegantly, "I just find it quite… satisfying… that our daughters are not alone in there troubles that's all."

Both males gave her identical questioning looks, but she refused to say anymore. If they weren't going to open there eyes and pay attention to what was happening with their offspring, she wasn't going to bother telling them. They could figure it out on their own.

"I wish Ryumi had come," she sighed as she stood to her feet. "Could you bring her with you next time, InuTaisho?"

Atsuki waited for his nod before bidding both men farewell and leaving the dining room, muttering something about feeding her plants.

Onigumo cringed inwardly as he watched her leave, imagining his wife around plants… He wondered, idly, which creature deserved his pity more; the innocent plants or his not-so innocent mate.

"What?" inquired InuTaisho as he caught the odd look on the other male's face.

"My wife… she's not exactly… _great_ with plants, you understand," he shrugged, turning to look at him.

"Ah," he nodded. There was a wealth of knowledge in that one syllable. InuTaisho remembered Lady Atsuki's near obsession with plants… and how it closely resembled a type of herbicide. He'd never imagined there was anyone worse with plants then Lady Atsuki… then he'd met his current mate, of course.

"So, what was that all about before?" he asked, both nodding his head towards the chair Atsuki had vacated and shaking his mind of the disturbing image of his wife strangling a helpless plant.

Onigumo stared back at him, wondering if he could come up with a plausible answer, something that would make him sound like he had a clue of what he was talking about when he said it. He opened his mouth to give such a comment then closed it again; changing his mind at the knowing look in the violet orbs watching him.

"I have no idea," he sighed, disgusted with himself.

"Hn." That made two of them.

oooo

Sango stiffened as she heard the door to her bedroom open then close a moment later. She'd decided to lie down when neither of her sisters had shown up for lunch in the dining room. In all honesty, she hadn't been all that hungry either. She'd wanted to talk to her sisters about the little dark haired girl that kept showing up in her visions; the one that knew Masaharu Sesshoumaru, but she'd forgotten with all the excitement that had happened between then and her wedding reception the evening before.

She tensed when she felt a body spoon up behind her then slowly relaxed as a familiar hand covered in a soft cloth around the palm appeared around her waist to rest on her stomach.

Bringing her own hand down, she silently laced her fingers with her husbands and squeezed. Pleased he'd followed her she snuggled closer to his warmth and closed her eyes, then slowly drifted into sleep.

oo

"She's asleep. It is time," said the dark haired woman staring into the water at the young woman's sleeping face.

"Are you sure?" asked the man with a frown as he stood behind the kneeling woman and stared at the reflection in the waters' surface. "Is there no other way?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, aiming a questioning look over her shoulder at him.

"I just…" he didn't like it. This was the very thing that had gotten him and the woman before him killed; not to mention countless others. He didn't want that for his girls. "Must we involve them?"

"What?" She gave him an incredulous look. "_Look_ at them, Hiroshi!" She waved her hand over the water and two more faces appeared beside the other, forming a triangle shape. "Can't you see it? Don't you realize what they are?"

Higurashi Hiroshi stared at the three faces in the water. Each was so similar to the next that one could believe they were triplets. Suddenly each image began to glow, a soft fuchsia light appearing around each woman's face. Crimson eyes narrowed then blinked as they shifted from the images in the water to the woman in front of him and back again.

He'd seen that type of light before.

"They're already involved," she whispered, nodding at him though his eyes were not on her.

"Midoriko? Are they…?" he questioned, still a bit shocked that he couldn't even finish.

She looked back at the water than, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears as she spoke quietly, "They're my wish."

"_How?"_ he watched the water in awe, observing the three women without their knowledge.

"I don't know," she shook her head. "When I made my wish they were not what I had imagined, but apparently, it's what the jewel provided… They're beautiful aren't they?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"And… they're a target," she sighed. "That's why they need to _know_. They need to know what truly happened back then, so they will understand and not hate us… hate _me_."

"They won't hate you Midoriko," he said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Perhaps not," she agreed, knowing that's what her lover wanted to hear. _And perhaps they will._ "Regardless, they have to know. They can't fight what's unseen, so maybe by knowing the past they'll know where to look."

He turned her to look at him then. Something in what she'd just said made him suspicious. He narrowed his eyes as he locked on to her darker ones. "You know who it is. You know who's after them."

She shook her head in denial though his words hadn't been formed as a question. She lowered her forehead to his chest as she moved closer to him.

"I don't know, but I have a suspicion," she admitted quietly.

His voice was hard as he asked his next question. "Who?"

She shook her head once more. "Not yet." She sighed and lifted her face to look at him again. "Let's wait and see, first."

Midoriko waited a moment for his reluctant nod before turning back to the water. She prayed silently that her suspicions would be proven wrong. She was sure Hiroshi was not going to take it well, if her concern proved to be right. She was having trouble with it herself already and it was only a suspicion.

Waving her hand over the water once more, she made the younger two sister's images disappear as she focused on the one called Sango. Her hand began to glow with a pink light; her miko powers at work. As she planted the first dream; her first memory of how it all began, she couldn't help wondering if her mate would have come to the same conclusions she had if he'd known the youkai existed.

ooo

Sango moaned in her sleep as the dream opened. She unconsciously shifted closer to her mate's body, pressing herself closer to his chest as the dream took her over…

…_The dark haired beauty twirled in circles around her room as she giggled to herself. She was so happy! She'd never imagined this day would come and now that it was here she didn't know how to act or what to think. She was so gloriously happy!!_

_She pinched the fleshy part of her left arm, just beneath the elbow, to be sure she wasn't dreaming. "Ouch!"_

"_Mistress," said the servant, trying to hold back her own giggle. She'd never seen the young mistress so happy before and she'd been working for the Okamoto family for nearly twenty winters out of her twenty-five. Sake shook her head in wonder as she tried to get her mistress's attention once more. They didn't have much time left to get the younger woman ready._

"_Mistress, please," she said earnestly. Sake was glad she had so much experience dealing with giddy people. Her father was a very happy drunk and tended to get drunk very often, because he loved the potent stuff so much. He loved it so much he even named his only daughter after the beloved drink. "Mistress, we must hurry! His lordship's guests will be arriving any moment and your father wants you present and dressed accordingly. At this rate you'll be lucky to make it to the table with everyone and we still have to do something with your hair!"_

"_Alright, Sake," sighed the young woman, "As you wish. Though I must admit I'd rather stay here in my room."_

"_I know, mistress," nodded the servant as she stepped up behind her mistress as she sat down and began brushing the long mass of thick hair._

"_Sake?"_

"_Yes, mistress?"_

"_I've always wanted to ask; how did you come by your name?"_

"_Why my father of course, mistress," she smiled though the other woman could not see since she was facing away from the servant woman. "He named me for his most precious possession. He likes to say to me all the time, "my only precious named after my only precious"."_

_The sitting woman giggled at that as the servant smiled again. _

"_And what, pray tell, is so funny?" asked a deep, but pleasant voice from the doorway._

_Both women turned in surprise then one bowed her head in respect while the other jumped to her feet to hug the unexpected visitor._

"_Hello papa," beamed the woman who'd just been getting her hair styled._

"_My Tsunami," smiled Takanobu broadly, green eyes sparkling. "I'd ask what put such a beautiful smile on your lovely face, but you look like you're already going to be late to dinner, so I won't delay you."_

"_Alright papa, I will hurry so as not to keep everyone waiting."_

"_Thank you. I just came to inform you that Lord Tsutomu and Lady Ayako with their son Lord Hiroshi of the Southern Lands will be joining us for dinner with Lord Takuya and Lady Keiko of the Western Lands." He missed the extra brightening of his daughter's eyes when he mentioned Lord Hiroshi. "Lord Koji of the West will be joining us a bit later."_

_It was her turn to miss the look in her father's eyes when he mentioned the Lord Koji._

"_Alright papa," she smiled, "The more the merrier, yes?"_

"_Exactly," he smiled at her then turned to leave. Takanobu stopped at the doorway and turned to his daughter once more before walking out. "Wear something special, sweetheart. I have a special announcement tonight that I'm sure you will like."_

_She nodded and grinned to her father then waited for him to leave before turning to Sake and letting the servant resume helping her. She hummed to herself the entire time as her mind jumped equally between wondering what her father had to say and the joy of being able to see her love again._

There was a moment of silence as the dream seemed to jump through time and the same young woman who'd been so happy just moments ago came rushing back into her room clad in a beautiful kimono made of pale green silk with a peach obi around her waist. She was crying hysterically as she threw herself down on the double size futon, cushioned heavily with blankets and pillows.

"_No, no, no!" She cried as she shook her head in the negative, screaming to an empty room. "Papa, please don't make me!"_

_Moments later her father came striding into the room. His emerald eyes were no longer smiling, but were now full of angry clouds._

"_I have promised you to Lord Koji, girl, and you _will_ honor me!" Takanobu roared. "You will marry him or, I promise, you will regret it!"_

"_Papa, no! Please!!" she cried as she turned to him, tears streaming down her face. "I can't papa! Please don't make me!"_

"_I have asked you three times why you can not marry him and three times you have denied me a proper answer," he spoke quietly, refusing to yell any longer. He waited to see if he would finally receive an answer, but after moments passed and still she said nothing, he gave a silent jerk of his head as he drew himself up to his full five feet and eleven inches of height. To him, the discussion was over. _

"_You will marry Lord Koji to honor my alliance with the Western Lands or you will no longer be an Okamoto. I will disown you and never look upon you again! You will be dead to me," he breathed out dangerously. "Mark my words Tsunami. I will not hesitate to kill you for this dishonor."_

_Takanobu stared at his daughter's crying face once more, wanting desperately to wipe her tears and tell her she didn't have to do anything she didn't want to. _'My sweet princess…' _But he could not do that. He stiffened his shoulders and gave her one last hard look before turning and quickly leaving the room._

"_Papa please…" whispered Tsunami, desperately. "Hiroshi… help me…I don't know what to do…"_

Sango sucked in a deep breath and sat straight up in bed, shaking like a leaf. She stared straight ahead, eyes wide, as her mind went over what she'd just seen. She could still feel and see everything. She could feel what everyone was thinking, hear their thoughts…. It was like nothing she'd ever experienced before. It was fascinating and scary all at the same time.

She wondered, idly, if this was how her sister Kikyou felt all the time and if it was, she couldn't really blame the other girl for putting up a barrier. Sango was shaking and sweating like a pig and she'd only experienced _three_ other people who weren't her. She couldn't imagine what it must feel like to feel _dozens_ of people.

Miroku was jerked awake when he felt the sudden movement of his wife. He'd only been meaning to stay with her to watch over her, but had ended up falling asleep himself. Slowly he sat up as he realized the state Sango was in. She was staring straight ahead, sweating, shaking, and eyes huge as if she'd just been frightened out of her mind. He gave a cursory sweep around the room, though he didn't expect to find anything or anyone out of the ordinary since all he could sense in the room was them. Gently he placed a hand to her shoulder and watched in wonder as she flinched just a little, but didn't seem to snap out of whatever type of trance she was in.

"Sango?" he called to her, getting worried. This was worse then when he'd found her passed out in the bathroom. "_Sango!?_"

Sango could hear him calling her, but it was as if it was from far away or from the other side of some long tunnel. Shakily she reached over a hand and grabbed his even as her mind stayed trapped in the visions of the pass.

"It's begun…" she whispered aloud, not realizing she'd spoken.

Miroku gave his mate a curious look as he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her trembling form close. As she held tightly to his hand, he waited patiently for her to come back to him. He didn't know what was going on, but it was obvious something was.

_What's begun?_ He asked himself the question, but couldn't even begin to try an answer it.

* * *

Author Note: _My writer's block is GONE!! Yay. Hopefully, no more delays in this story. 2 more chapters until the start of Book II: A Marriage of Issues (I changed the title... and I may change it again...) Sorry for the long wait. Well, there's chapter 10. The visions are beginning. This is where the back story of the Feud begins…_

_Chihaya: is the name of the outfit – the red hakamas and white kimono top – worn by temple mikos/priestesses._


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